FRENCH EXPATRIATE FACES DRUG CHARGES IN BRAZIL

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - A French expatriate was arrested in Brazil's Amazonian
state of Para Saturday and charged with masterminding a Colombian
drug-trafficking ring, authorities said.

The suspect, identified as Mario Serge, is accused of heading a gang that
smuggled cocaine from Colombia to France, said a police officer in Para's
capital, Belem. There were no further details about the suspect.

Local television network Globo said police found huge quantities of cocaine
wrapped in small plastic bags or hidden in food cans at Serge's house in
Belem, about 1,863 miles from Sao Paulo. Police could not confirm the details.