COLOMBIAN TROOPS PATROL JUNGLE RIVERS IN HUNT FOR COCAINE LABS

Puerto Leguizamo, Colombia -- The fleet of gunboats advances along the
roiling waters of the Putumayo River, fresh from a 2,300-mile mission deep
into jungles housing clandestine cocaine labs and rebel gunmen.

For the 200 Colombian troops who left this sweltering port town on Feb. 14,
the mission was a success: 18 coca-processing labs were destroyed, tons of
precursor chemicals seized and a clandestine airstrip discovered.

Resistance from rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or
FARC, who earn millions of dollars by "taxing" coca growers was light. But
as the United States provides more funding later this year for Colombia's
"riverine" counterdrug operations, things are expected to heat up.

Already, U.S. troops have helped train Colombian Marines for such
operations and built floating docks for the boats, which are anchored along
the banks of the fast-flowing rivers.

"The rivers are the supply highways, they are the only routes through here
- - and the fastest," noted Colombian Marine Col. Juan Enrique Prieto of
southern Colombia's Putumayo province, which has many more rivers than
highways.

More than a dozen vessels, including gunboats, tugs and sleek fast-attack
boats, participated in "Operation Titan," which ended when the troops
returned to Puerto Leguizamo on Saturday.

The sweating soldiers were in high spirits when they docked, one carrying a
monkey he had found during the long journey. Perhaps because the riverine
force was so large and well armed, with .50-caliber machine guns bristling
from the decks, FARC rebels did not engage them in combat as the boats
swept past on the broad, muddy river.

One of the few incidents occurred when the flotilla came across a man in a
motorized canoe, who instead of heeding orders to halt began firing at the
troops with an assault rifle.

The soldiers returned fire, riddling the canoe with holes and taking the
man prisoner. They also confiscated chemicals, weapons and money from his boat.

Because the jungle is so dense, U.S. spy-satellite technology was unable to
pinpoint the location of the drug labs, Colombian commanders said.

The labs were found within a half-mile of the river by informants and other
intelligence operations, officers said. The labs are often located near
rivers because cocaine producers use the waterways to bring in precursor
chemicals and other supplies, and to ship out the drugs.

U.S. officials, who are helping implement Washington's $1.3 billion aid
package to Colombia and the region to assist in the drug war and shore up
this South American country's democracy, say halting the flow of drugs
along the jungle rivers is an important step.

As part of the aid package approved by the U.S. Congress last year, $12
million is dedicated to interdiction of drugs and chemicals in the seas and
rivers and $2 million for construction and improvements of docks and ports.
The aid is expected to begin arriving during the second half of 2001.