By now, virtually all of America has heard of Ahmed Ressam. Last winter, he was widely covered in the news media as investigators built a case against him based on his ties to organized international terrorism. In fact, from the moment Ressam crossed into the United States on a ferry from Victoria, British Columbia, presenting himself as "Benni Noris," something just didn't seem quite right. His was the last car to board the ferry at the Port Angeles port of entry, and something told Customs inspector Diana M. Dean that she should take a second look. As she explained later, "After working on this job awhile, you get a knack for knowing when something isn't right."

When the ferry reached its destination, Inspector Dean gave Noris the standard Customs declaration, which he completed. Then, she asked him to step out of his car. "It wasn't just one thing that tipped me off. There was something strange about his mannerisms, and he was stalling in answering my questions," Dean said. Noris's stalling also quickly got the attention of Dean's colleague, inspector Mark Johnson.

Noris finally got out of the car and stood by Johnson while the inspector checked the trunk. But, when the inspector discovered some white powder hidden in the spare tire well of the trunk, Noris took off. "One second I have a hold of him; the next, I'm standing there with an empty coat," Johnson said. Fortunately, other Customs inspectors were able to apprehend Noris while he was trying to car-jack an automobile stopped at a nearby traffic light.