ONE DRUG SMUGGLER LEARNS THE HARD WAY

Novice 'Mule' Faces Prison If Convicted

BOGOTA, Colombia -- Julian says he traded in his life of occasional,
underpaid but honest work for a risky wager tucked into the secret folds of
his suitcases: 40 pounds of cocaine.

But like hundreds of others, the 28-year-old recently lost out when police
caught him at Bogota's El Dorado airport. His hopes of a killing were
dashed with the sniff of a police dog at the ticket counter.

"I did it for the dream that motivates the entire world: Work and make easy
money," said Julian, who declined to give his last name citing security
reasons. "But the reality is different."

Julian had hoped to fly to Madrid. But instead he faces at least eight
years in a Colombian prison if convicted.

With unemployment at 16 percent, many turn to drug smuggling in Colombia,
which produces most of the world's cocaine and more than half of the heroin
used in the United States.

The drug trade fuels the civil war in this South American country, with
both leftist rebels and right-wing militia groups skimming profits to
finance their fight.

Colombians aren't the only "mules," or drug runners. Of the 225 caught at
the airport last year, 87 were foreigners, with Ecuadoreans, Spaniards and
Italians topping the list, said Col. Omar Gonzalez, the airport police
commander.

More than 6,000 people fly out daily from El Dorado, the nation's main
transport hub. Dogs, X-ray machines and common sense are deployed to weed
out smugglers.

"Nervous behavior and contradictions the mules make when our police ask
specific questions -- that is what really exposes them," Gonzalez said.

After swallowing whole grapes for practice, many mules gulp down
drug-filled latex capsules.

Getting past the searches doesn't mean the danger is over. Some die when
the capsules accidentally break inside their stomachs. Julian opted for
less physical risk when he stashed the cocaine in suitcase pouches.

He had left Colombia four years ago. He headed to Spain, where he found odd
jobs. As he struggled to make ends meet, his friends were making thousands
of dollars with every drug haul they brought into Spain.

Julian eventually returned to Colombia to try smuggling. After being paid
an advance, he headed to the airport with the cocaine. He said it was his
first drug run. It was also his last.