MULTINATIONAL DRUG BUST NETS 2,331 ARRESTS

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Twenty-five Caribbean, Central and South
American nations and territories joined in a massive regional attack
on illegal drug trafficking that netted 2,331 arrests and tons of
cocaine and marijuana, U.S. agents said Wednesday.

The 17-day crackdown, dubbed "Operation Conquistador," was designed
to disrupt drug trafficking in the source countries and throughout the
regional distribution chain, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
officials said.

It also allowed the governments to test a new on-line network that
lets them exchange information about illegal drug activities, said
Michael Vigil, special agent in charge of the DEA's Caribbean office
in San Juan.

During the crackdown, police and anti-drug squads in the various
countries seized 56,738 pounds of cocaine, 122 pounds of heroin, 31
pounds of morphine base, 362.5 metric tons of marijuana and 161 pounds
of hash oil, the DEA said.

They also destroyed 11,886 pounds of coca leaf and 94 cocaine labs and
seized 83 weapons and 17,349 rounds of ammunition, Vigil said.

"Although the arrests and seizures were extremely impressive, they,
however, were secondary to having the participating countries working
with one another," Vigil said.

The operation was run from the DEA's Caribbean field office in San
Juan from March 10-26 and carried out with sea and air interdictions
by the participating nations.

Joining the crackdown were Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia,
Ecuador, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Montserrat, Dominica, St.
Kitts and Nevis, Antigua, Anguilla, St. Martin, British Virgin
Islands, Barbuda, Grenada, Barbados, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Aruba,
Curacao, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic and the U.S. commonwealth
of Puerto Rico.