SPOILS OF DRUG WARS

Colorado Agencies Split Millions From Drug Dealer

DENVER - Who says crime doesn't pay?

Certainly not the handful of federal and metro-area law enforcement
officials who shared the spoils of America's drug war Tuesday, nearly one
year after a marijuana trafficker killed himself in Kansas, leaving behind
nearly $10 million in tainted cash.

"It is poetic justice to put back in the hands of law enforcement money
accrued by criminal activity," said U.S. Attorney Tom Strickland Tuesday as
he passed out massive checks to representatives from Englewood, Aurora,
Douglas County, Chaffee County, the Salida Police Department and other
state law agencies.

The cash represented the largest amount of money ever seized in a Colorado
drug investigation, Strickland said.

The money was distributed among police agencies that took part in the
investigation. The various agencies expect to use the money to buy
additional law enforcement equipment.

The cash lottery came on the heels of an extensive investigation into a
marijuana smuggling ring led by Robert Henry Golding, whose run from the
law ended badly Jan. 14, 2000, in Colby, Kan.

A local lawman stopped Golding, 41, for making an illegal U-turn. Rather
than surrender, Golden struggled with the officer, pulled out a
semi-automatic handgun and shot himself in the mouth. Colby cops later
found more than $3 million in cash, as well as marijuana, false
identification documents and blank birth certificates in his car.

Hours earlier, Colorado authorities searched a storage locker in Fort
Collins that was linked to Golding. Inside they found $6 million in cash.

Federal agents had arrested Golding on drug charges in August 1999 for
trying to sell more than 200 pounds of pot in Lakewood. Court records
indicate Golding planned to cooperate with authorities.

Believing Golding would help Drug Enforcement Administration agents arrest
his boss, the suspect was allowed to go free while his 1999 case moved
through federal court.

"He was more useful to us out of prison," Strickland said, when asked why
Golding was allowed to go free.

Golding, who was known to make money transactions in such places as
Luxembourg and Dubai under various aliases, vanished after being turned
loose. He remained at large until he made that fatal U-turn in Kansas.

More than half of the seized cash was distributed among several police and
sheriff's agencies Tuesday.

The Englewood Department of Safety Services received $1.15 million.

The Aurora Police Department and the Douglas County Sheriff's Department
each received about $1 million.

The remaining $2.5 million will be handed over to the federal government.