US FREES CONVICTED AUST COCAINE SMUGGLER

A judge in California has released a convicted Australian drug
smuggler amid revelations about a controversial incentive scheme for
the customs inspectors who caught him.

In 1997, Michael Sanderson was convicted of attempting to smuggle 7.5
kilograms of cocaine on to a flight from San Franscisco to Sydney.

But in a decision made public this week, Judge Vaughn Walker cut
Sanderson's eight-year sentence to two years, releasing him on the
basis of time served.

Central to the judge's decision was the revelation after the original
trial that eight of the 12 customs inspectors who gave evidence
against Sanderson had received cash rewards for the drug seizure.