GIRL, 5, SENT FROM COLOMBIA WITH HEROIN IN LUGGAGE

NEW YORK - A 5-year-old girl traveling alone on a flight from Colombia was
caught at John F. Kennedy International Airport with two suitcases
containing more than a kilogram of heroin, customs officials said Monday.

"Sending a 5-year-old girl alone on a plane to smuggle heroin represents a
new low - even for drug traffickers," said Joe Webber, the U.S. Customs
Service special agent in charge for New York. "This case demonstrates the
depths to which trafficking organizations have sunk to ply their deadly trade."

The girl, who was not identified because she is a minor, arrived
unaccompanied at Kennedy Airport on Thursday aboard Avianca Airlines Flight
20 from Bogota, Colombia, customs officials said.

During a routine check of the girl's baggage, a customs inspector noticed
the sides of the bags were unusually thick. A further probe revealed a
white substance that field-tested positive for heroin, customs officials said.

Customs officers seized nearly 1.042 kilograms of heroin from the bags. An
investigation is under way. No charges have been filed against the girl,
and she has been turned over to the Administration for Child Services.