COLONEL'S WIFE PLEADS GUILTY TO DRUG CHARGES

NEW YORK (AP) - The wife of the former commander of the U.S. Army's
anti-drug operation in Colombia pleaded guilty Thursday to drug charges and
said her husband knew nothing of a plan to smuggle $700,000 worth of heroin.

"I never told him what I was doing," Laurie Anne Hiett, 36, said after
pleading guilty in federal court. Still free on bond, she faces up to nine
years in prison at sentencing on April 28.

Hiett - whose husband, Col. James Hiett, was head of U.S. anti-drug
operations in Bogota - talked openly about her past drug addiction and said
she was sorry her case made headlines while the United States is waging a
costly war on drugs.

"There are people dying every day to fight this, and then I did what I
did," she said. "I'm not proud of it. I just truly apologize."

Hiett surrendered to federal authorities in August after they intercepted
two 2 1/2-pound packages of heroin she had mailed to New York from the U.S.
Embassy in Bogota.

The parcels had Hiett's return address. She claimed she sent them for Jorge
Ayala, a civilian driver for U.S. military commanders in Colombia, and that
they contained books, candy, coffee and Colombian artifacts. She pleaded
innocent and was freed on bond.

In recent months, her attorney sought a plea bargain with prosecutors. One
of her co-defendants, Hernan Arcila, 54, pleaded guilty on Jan. 5 to drug
conspiracy, admitting he accepted shipments from Colombia at his New York
home. Ayala, who was also indicted, remains a fugitive.

As part of her plea Thursday, Hiett told Magistrate Marilyn Go she shipped
six packages from Bogota to New York City, believing they contained
cocaine. Tests on the two seized shipments revealed they were heroin.

Hiett admitted flying to New York City twice to collect drug proceeds.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Dunst also said Hiett once took a trip to Miami
carrying about a pound of cocaine.

Hiett told Go she has stopped using drugs since her arrest.

An Army investigation cleared Col. Hiett, who requested removal from his
post in Colombia and was transferred to Fort Monroe, Va. New York
prosecutors are still investigating.