SUSPECT IN BIG 1978 POT BUST CAPTURED

A Former world champion skier who disappeared 23 years ago
after being accused of trying to smuggle 37 tons of marijuana into the
Northwest has been captured in Denver, tripped up by a dispute over
child support.

Michael Lund, now about 65, was arrested Tuesday by federal marshals.
He was being held in Colorado and will face charges in Seattle.

"He's been in the wind for 23 years," U.S. Marshals supervisor
JackWilliams said Thursday. "We had no information on his new ID or
his new life."

Authorities found Lund after he was arrested May11 under the name
Steven Malex McCain of Santa Barbara, Calif., for contempt of court
stemming from a child support case. The dispute was filed last Sept.22
in Wyoming and transferred to a Colorado court.

'McCain' was fingerprinted and released on bail. The FBI matched the
fingerprints to Lund and marshals tracked him to a motel in the Denver
area.

Tina Rowe, U.S. marshal for Colorado, said Lund has agreed to
cooperate with authorities and provide information about the marijuana
case.

In 1975, Lund was a champion in the ballet category of freestyle
skiing and was credited with helping to create a professional
freestyle skiers association.

On April 17, 1978, a Coast Guard cutter intercepted the Helena Star, a
freighter, about 130 miles southwest ofWashingtonís Cape Flattery. In
the hold were bales of maiijuana valued at $74 niillion.

At the time, federal investga-tors said the crew planned to use Lundís
61-root racing sloop, the Joli, to bring the load ashore at Lundís
home on Sequim Bay on the Olympic Peninsula.

A tugboat and barge that au-thorities say were owned by Lund were
believed to be headed toward the Helena Star when the Coast Guard
moved in. The freighter was seized.

Lund, then 42, disappeared.