COCAINE SEIZURE AT SEA A RECORD

In Rare Case, Crew Members Are All Russians, Ukrainians

SAN DIEGO -- These were not your usual suspects.

All 10 crew members arrested aboard a fishing boat carrying more than
26,000 pounds of cocaine off the Mexican coast were from Russia or Ukraine.

That has some officials wondering if the coke was destined for somewhere
other than the United States.

"Traditionally, we see Colombian crews on these smuggling vessels," said
Coast Guard Vice Adm. Ray Riutta as the more than 13 tons of contraband was
put on display in San Diego yesterday.

The 151-foot boat, Svesda Maru, drew interest from a U.S. Customs Service
air crew on April 28, some 1,500 miles south of San Diego. The Customs
Service noticed that those aboard the boat did not appear to be fishing.
The boat also was not in waters where fishing boats frequent, officials said.

A crew on the Coast Guard cutter Active boarded the Belize-registered
vessel, which was towed Sunday to San Diego, and found few fish.

The crew did find 400 bales of cocaine in various compartments and a hidden
fuel tank, officials said. It took two days to find the drugs because the
boat had so many hidden compartments, officials said.

The fishing crew, which was not armed, did not put up a struggle.

The involvement by Russians -- the previous record maritime seizure was
about nine tons -- has authorities wondering if the drugs were destined for
Russia or other European countries.

Russian organized-crime groups are forming alliances with Colombian drug
lords, acquiring cocaine for trafficking in Europe in exchange for weapons,
officials said.

The Russians not only bring access to new drug markets in Russia and other
former Soviet republics, but offer drug cartels access to submarines,
helicopters and other sophisticated equipment, officials added.

The record seizure was part of a new strategy -- and a federal maritime
task force -- formed to seize cocaine before it reaches U.S. borders, said
U.S. Attorney Gregory Vega.

"No longer will we wait to confiscate drugs at our borders," Vega said. "We
are going to be proactive in keeping drugs from our streets and our schools."

Those aboard the fishing boat could be arraigned as early as today on
smuggling charges that could bring sentences of up to life in prison. Crew
members refused to reveal where the drugs were loaded or destined,
officials said.

"We want to get to the bottom of it," said Ed Logan, special agent in
charge of investigations for U.S. Customs in San Diego and Imperial
counties, in referring to the unusual makeup of the crew.