'LUCRATIVE PESO EXCHANGE'

The Aug. 29 news story "U.S., Colombia to Confront Lucrative Peso Exchange"
reported that the U.S. Justice Department and Customs Service said that I
purchased a Bell 407 helicopter in 1998 with money I obtained from illegal
activities. I deny this accusation absolutely.

I have never bought directly or indirectly a Bell helicopter or any other
make of helicopter. I also have never handled money of illicit origin and
always have emphatically rejected drug trafficking. My resources come from
honest and legal work in emerald mining (I have become one of the world's
leading producers and exporters), agriculture and cattle breeding.

In order to clarify any misunderstanding with the authorities of the United
States, I requested documents relating to this accusation through the
Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act. I received a letter from
the U.S. Customs Service dated June 5, 1998, that concluded that although I
had been considered a suspect, my case now was "closed" and that I was an
internationally known emeralds magnate.

Another letter dated Sept. 17, 1998, from the Drug Enforcement Agency
pinpointed the source of all the suspicions about me: an anonymous letter
sent in 1979 to the sectional office in Bogota that referred to my "drug
trafficking activities." An anonymous letter containing accusations that
were not confirmed, verified or matched should not be used to defame and
persecute a person.

Because I have not participated in the illegal activities of either
guerrillas or drug traffickers, I now am being investigated for the
supposed financing of paramilitaries in Colombia. But this false accusation
is being put forth by the same guerrillas and drug traffickers that I have
been trying to dismantle. The Post story caused me much anxiety, and I
write to defend my honor and good name.

Victor Manuel, Carranza Nino, Gachala, Colombia