Some charges dropped against Smuggler’s Inn owner

Photo by Ruth Lauman/The Northern Light

Crown prosecutors have decided not to pursue several of the charges against Bob Boule, owner of the Smuggler’s Inn Bed and Breakfast in Blaine who is alleged to have helped people enter Canada illegally.

During a B.C. court appearance on June 11, Crown prosecutors revealed their decision to “stay” nine of the charges against Boule. When charges are stayed, it “basically means that the prosecution has determined not to pursue those charges at this point in time,” said a spokesperson for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC).

The dropped charges alleged that, from April 2016 to September 2017, Boule “did knowingly organize, induce, aid or abet the coming into Canada” of nine different individuals “knowing that, or being reckless as to whether, their coming into Canada is or would be in contravention of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.”

However, Boule still faces 21 charges. The remaining charges include allegations that Boule, despite being on prior notice, failed to keep the peace and be of good behavior, and assisted people in the U.S. with attempting to enter Canada in contravention of Canadian law.

The remaining charges are set for trial from January 13 to February 5, 2020. Between now and then, Boule will appear in court on Friday, July 5 seeking public funding for his defense. He is also scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, July 16 to confirm his trial dates.

According to the PPSC spokesperson, the decision to stay nine charges against Boule was made “to obtain the earliest possible [trial] dates on the most serious charges he faces.” The decision was also made to ensure that Boule was tried within a reasonable time, a right that is guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Recently, a GoFundMe page was created to raise funds for Boule’s defense. Located online at gofundme.com/smugglersinn, the GoFundMe page was created on May 28 with the goal of raising $40,000. As of June 18, it had received just $5 in donations, although the page noted that separately, $17,220 has so far been raised for Boule.

Meanwhile, the Smuggler’s Inn has reopened with a new website, smugglersinnbandb.com.

Pursuant to Boule’s bail conditions, the new website includes only an email address, smugglersinn9@gmail.com and no phone number. It also includes a warning that “It is illegal to enter Canada directly from Smuggler’s Inn property. The owner is bound by a court order to report to Canadian authorities the identity of anyone who enters Canada illegally from this property.”

It is the same wording that appears on a lighted four-by-eight foot sign that Boule was required to erect on his property as a condition of his bail. Boule is required to send a time-stamped photo of the warning sign to his bail supervisor once a week to show that it’s still standing.

Boule’s other bail conditions include that he must turn away potential customers if they give any indication that they plan to enter Canada illegally, and that he must reside at the Smuggler’s Inn unless given permission to move elsewhere. Boule was also required to cancel all his existing phone numbers and email addresses and provide any new ones to his bail supervisor, along with his call logs, text messages and account passwords.