FEDERAL AGENTS HAMMERING ILLEGAL DRUG 'COMMISSION'

WASHINGTON - Federal agents from Florida to California have made more
than 140 arrests in an effort to dismantle a drug operation suspected
of converting a common cold medication into tons of illegal drugs.

Pseudoephedrine is the nasal decongestant in over-the-counter
medicines such as Sudafed and Actifed. But drug dealers can use it to
make methamphetamine, a dangerous illegal drug.

The group set up what appeared to be a legal distribution network for
cold pills while diverting pseudoephedrine to clandestine labs on the
West Coast, drug agents said.

The distribution ring was headed by a group of 10 people who called
themselves "the Commission" and shipped their profits to the Middle
East, Drug Enforcement Administration officials said.

Agents arrested eight of those 10, including Hassan Zaghmot of
Denver. They found $650,000 in cash in Zaghmot's safe deposit box,
stashed for a quick escape, according to DEA officials.

They said one of the 10 was out of the-country and the others may have
fled after the latest round of arrests began Friday with Zaghmot when
a federal grand juror allegedly tipped him off.

The juror, Mark J. Hinckley, 37, of Evergreen, Colo., was arrested
Monday night in Denver on charges that he told Zaghmot on Thursday
that the grand jury had returned a sealed indictment against him.
Federal agents watching Zaghmot on a court-approved concealed camera
saw and heard Hinckley ask for $50,000 for details of the indictment,
agents said.

One man arrested, Khaled AliHabahbih, 34, of Kissimmee is the son-in-
law of CNN talk-show host Larry King. A family attorney said Ali-
Habahbih is separated from King's daughter Chaia, 32.

The suspects were charged with intent to manufacturer methamphetamine,
said Joe Keefe, chief of DEA's special operations.

DEA officials said the Commission set prices, determined the methods
of transportation, sent profits to Israel, Jordan, Syria and Saudi
Arabia and set up front companies to buy and ship pseudoephedrine tablets.

The investigation reached into Tampa, Orlando and Miami.

Information from The Orlando Sentinel was used in this report.