PLEA IN DRUG CASE AGAINST WIFE OF A COLONEL

The wife of the former commander of the United States Army's antidrug
operation in Colombia will plead guilty in a federal heroin smuggling case,
according to court papers.

Lawyers for the woman, Laurie Anne Hiett, 36, reached a plea bargain
agreement this month with federal prosecutors, according to papers filed by
an assistant United States attorney, Lee Dunst.

Mrs. Hiett was expected to plead guilty to drug conspiracy charges on
Wednesday in federal district court in Brooklyn.

A conviction could carry a term of 10 years in prison.

Yesterday, Mr. Dunst refused to comment on the agreement mentioned in the
court papers. Mrs. Hiett's lawyer, Paul Lazarus, did not return a call for
comment.

Mrs. Hiett surrendered to federal authorities in August after they
intercepted two 1.2-kilo packages of heroin that they alleged she had
shipped to the United States from its embassy in Bogota. She was accused of
making four similar shipments.

Mrs. Hiett had said she believed the parcels contained books, candy, coffee
and Colombian artifacts. She was freed on bond after pleading not guilty.

Federal authorities said yesterday that the investigation was continuing,
with at least one other suspect - Jorge Ayala, a civilian driver for United
States military commanders in Colombia - remaining at large.

The Army insists Col. James Hiett, the head of its antidrug operations in
Colombia, was unaware of his wife's alleged crimes. The colonel requested
removal from his post in Colombia after the allegations arose.

A co-defendant, Hernan Arcila, 54, pleaded guilty this month to drug
conspiracy, admitting that he had accepted shipments from Colombia at his
Queens address. He, like Mrs. Hiett, faces a possible 10-year prison term
on the guilty plea.