CREW ALLEGES AGENTS STOLE CASH DURING DRUG BUST

PORTLAND - Authorities are investigating allegations that federal customs
agents stole from crew members during a cocaine bust aboard a ship that
sailed here from Colombia.

Roughly 10 members of the crew, which consisted of 18 Americans and three
Hondurans, said they had items stolen during the nine-hour search that
concluded with the seizure of 70 pounds of cocaine.

"One person lost $700, another person $500, one person $70-something and
another about $68," Barrett Newman, the ship's third mate, told KATU news.

Joe Meisenheimer, agent in charge with the U.S. Customs Service in
Portland, said the agency's internal affairs office in Seattle is
investigating.

"I think we reacted very quickly and I think that the investigation will be
very thorough and complete," he said.

The cocaine found aboard the Overseas Harriette is valued at $3 million,
and was the largest bust of its kind in Portland, officials said.

The drugs were discovered during a routine search. While officials were
fortunate to catch this shipment, it raises questions of how many drugs are
coming through Portland, and whether its relatively small customs presence
can adequately stop the flow.

"While I think the traffickers are smart enough to figure out where the big
presence is, and go for the weakest point, I don't think Portland is the
weakest point," Meisenheimer said. "But our presence here - law enforcement
in general - is less than the major cities and traffickers will look for
those weak points."

The ship left Colombia earlier this month for Portland, where it was to add
a shipment of grain and head for North Korea.

Customs officials got a tip that a crew member on a ship with a similar
name would be smuggling cocaine to Houston. A ship's officer meanwhile had
found the drugs in an overhead compartment of the exercise room.

It is unclear if the drugs were intended for Portland, North Korea or some
other destination. Given the tip, dealers might have thought the ship was
headed to Houston.

"That's the rumor," Meisenheimer said.

The authorities arrested Luis Rochez, 27, of Honduras, on charges of
suspected drug smuggling. He was arraigned in Portland on Monday and
remains jailed pending a bail hearing. He faces 10 years to life in prison.

Rochez, the ship steward, told authorities he would be paid $93,000 to
smuggle the cocaine. He said two men tossed him the packages as he stood on
the stern of the ship in Columbia.

"If this amount is coming, it's probably a pattern of other amounts that
are coming; it's significant not by the weight, but by the trend,"
Meisenheimer said.

"This is just one little glimpse into narcotics trafficking," he added.
"We're a major hub on the I-5 traffic corridor between Los Angeles and
Vancouver, British Columbia. While we may not be the largest use
destination, I'm sure we're involved in significant trafficking."