Airport defender

Basil Gamble in the Prince Albert airport terminal.

Basil “Sonny” Gamble loves his job.

He spends his days at Prince Albert airport, going through luggage and pouring out bottles of liquor.

“My duty here is to make sure that I confiscate any contraband that’s going to Black Lake, Hatchet Lake and Fond du Lac,” he said.

It’s mostly booze. Whisky, to be specific. On Wednesday, Gamble found a mickey of Wiser’s hidden in a box of pizza pockets.

“One of the creative ways I see is putting it in food boxes,” he said. “Boxes of cereal for instance, or minute rice.”

Gamble was brought in as part of a joint venture between the Prince Albert Grand Council, three northern First Nations and Transwest Air. They turned to KAD Protection Services, a security company that trains officers from indigenous communities.

Since he started in late November, Gamble has intercepted people trying to smuggle liquor onto dry reserves 102 times.

For more on why Gamble does what he does, please see the Jan. 28 print or e-editions of the Daily Herald.

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