FUEL FOR ANTI-DRUG MISSIONS IS MISSING

Allotment For Colombia Is Short 469,000 Gallons

WASHINGTON - The State Department cannot account for 469,000 gallons of
aviation fuel it bought for Colombian anti-drug missions, and a Republican
senator wants congressional auditors to investigate.

In seeking the inquiry, Sen. Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, chairman of the
Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, recalled that Congress
recently approved a $1.3 billion Colombian anti-drug package. "I want to be
sure that we have the best chance of seeing that money produce real
results," he said.

The inspector general's office of the State Department reported last month
that it could not determine how the fuel was used and was unsure whether to
attribute the problem to poor bookkeeping or fraud.

The 469,000 gallons comprise 17 percent of the fuel provided the Colombian
National Police last year by the U.S. Embassy in Bogota. The police and the
air wing of the State Department's International Narcotics and Law
Enforcement Bureau use the embassy-provided fuel in planes and helicopters
flying drug eradication and interdiction missions.

In an Oct. 2 letter, Grassley asked the General Accounting Office to
evaluate how the State Department oversees operations of the air wing and
those of its contractors, whether it complies with federal contracting
procedures and how the air wing assures that aircraft are properly maintained.

Both Grassley and the State Department requested the review by the
inspector general in February after a Colombian police official was accused
of embezzling U.S. money meant for aircraft fuel, motor vehicle parts and
other supplies.

The State Department originally approached two accounting firms with
offices in Bogota to conduct the audits. Both refused, fearing reprisals.

The inspector general issued three reports last month. It found no criminal
activity but said oversight of the fuel fund was inadequate, as was
supervision of a contractor who pays civilian pilots and mechanics.

It did not disclose the cost of the missing fuel but noted that $7.7
million was paid for aviation fuel over three years. Aviation fuel is "a
very marketable and desirable commodity" that can be used in cars and
trucks that take diesel fuel, it said.

Colombian police said the missing fuel perhaps was burned in idling time or
was used in generators that were not included in the records.