COKE SHIPPING RING SMASHED, U.S. REPORTS

WASHINGTON--U.S. officials said Saturday that they have broken up a major
drug trafficking operation that used commercial ships to haul Colombian
cocaine around the world.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Customs Service said 43
people have been arrested and almost 25 tons of cocaine confiscated during
the two-year investigation, dubbed "Operation Journey." Officials believe
that the organization transported at least 68 tons of cocaine to 12 nations
in three years.

A big part of the operation was announced in recent days by Venezuelan
officials, who said they seized 10 tons of cocaine and arrested 16 people in
a series of raids.

Among those in custody is Ivan de la Vega, the suspected leader of the
organization. De La Vega, a Colombian citizen, was arrested Aug. 16 in
Venezuela. He has been turned over to U.S. custody.

In a statement, Customs described the organization as "a one-stop shipping
service for Colombian cartels interested in moving cocaine via maritime
vessels to U.S. and European markets."

The organization used eight to 10 freighters. Some were owned by the
organization; others by shipping companies in Greece and other nations.

The organization would transport cocaine from Colombia to the Orinoco River
delta in northeastern Venezuela. The cargo would be taken by boats to
offshore freighters and then stored in secret compartments until it reached
its destination, where boats carried it ashore.

The organization would try to throw off investigators by making "dry runs"
with legitimate cargo. But working with foreign police agencies, the DEA and
Customs obtained information about specific cocaine shipments, Customs said.

"This case demonstrates what can be achieved when nations of the world work
together against a common enemy," Customs Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said
in the statement.

"Law enforcement has forged the international alliances required to cripple
sophisticated transnational criminal organizations" like De la Vega's, and
"Operation Journey is only the beginning," said DEA Administrator Donnie
Marshall.