SUSPECT IN DRUG RING ARRESTED IN ARIZONA

NEW LONDON, Conn., April 21 -- A man suspected of masterminding a $3
million-a-month cocaine ring in southeastern Connecticut was arrested in
Arizona on Friday, nearly 12 years after he skipped a court hearing and
disappeared.

The suspect, Alberto Howe, 59, was arrested by federal agents as he stepped
out of a Tempe, Ariz., apartment to take out the trash.

Mr. Howe owned several bars in and near New London when he was arrested.
Authorities said he took $90,000 in cash hidden in one of his buildings and
fled to his native Panama.

Until Friday, he managed to stay one step ahead of arrest, returning
occasionally to the United States from Panama to attend major boxing matches.

Mr. Howe is being held at the Maricopa County Jail until Connecticut
authorities can bring him back to the state.