Vancouver-After an extensive investigation led by the Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET), The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has concluded that there is no evidence of theft or other criminal involvement in the inventory discrepancy that led to two tons of ammonium nitrate being reported as missing from a shipment by Kinder Morgan. At the same time, according to RCMP media relations officer Rob Vermeulen, a high level of security was found to be in place throughout the process of manufacture, transport, and storage of the fertilizer. The investigation further determined that the most reasonable explanation is that the discrepancy can be attributed to errors within administrative processes. Vermeulen would not say if the investigators considered the possibility of a connection with the 2010 Winter Olympics being held in Vancouver, saying only that “you have to think of everything.” But he reported that investigators from Vancouver 2010 Joint Intelligence Group were part of the INSET team along with Public Works Canada Forensics Accounting Management Group and Natural Resources Canada. The exhaustive investigation included in excess of 200 interviews with persons who came in contact with the ammonium nitrate at various points in its transport and storage. In addition, audits were conducted at the Surrey-Fraser Docks, North Vancouver Docks, and at offices in Edmonton, Calgary, and Salt Lake City, Utah. The ammonium nitrate was manufactured at the Agrium Inc. Redwater facility in Alberta and shipped by truck in bulk form to the Morinville, Alberta, bagging facility, where the shipment was taken from bulk form and put into one-ton bags. From there it was shipped to the Kinder Morgan warehouse in British Columbia. According to spokeswoman Cindy Andrews, “Agrium has a tracking system to confirm all shipments are received at the destination we shipped to.”
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain