Wash. state man accused of selling map of cameras posted at U.S.-Canada border

October 07, 2011

A Washington state man allegedly sold maps that showed the location of Border Patrol sensors and cameras at the U.S.-Canada border to someone he thought was involved with smuggling people and drugs.

Those maps, which were dated 2007, showed where to cross the border in the Blaine area with the least chance of detection.

Leif Rankin, of Bellingham, Wash., was arrested on suspicion of theft of government property Sept. 26 after allegedly selling the documents for $6,000 to an undercover informant for the Department of Homeland Security. His case is being heard in the U.S. District Court in Seattle.

According to court documents, agents with Homeland Security's Integrated Border Enforcement Team were told about Rankin's possession of the maps Sept. 1 by officers of the Northwest Regional Drug Task Force. Officers told the agency that Rankin was offering the documents for sale for $10,000, and he had been asking criminals he knew if they knew any cross-border smugglers who would be interested in buying the maps. Read more