FRESH CATCH OF THE DAY

Customs Finds Cocaine Packed With Fish

Customs agents found $21 million worth of cocaine on Monday concealed
beneath a shipment of fresh fish at Miami International Airport, in
what officials said could be another case of insider smuggling at the
airport.

Although the shipment was not tied to any of the airport workers
indicted last week, Customs officials said they suspect the smugglers
learned about the seizure from an employee at MIA.

The reason: No one stepped forward to claim the filets of grouper,
tuna and congrio -- 50 boxes in all -- after federal agents made their
discovery.

For a shipment of fresh fish, that's unusual.

"There were drivers for all the other fish shipments, Mary Meier,
acting port director for Customs at MIA, told reporters at an
afternoon news conference.

Customs officials displayed the fresh fish and waxed packages of
cocaine in a parking lot near MIA before drawing a link between the
cargo and last week's airport scandal.

Federal authorities on Wednesday arrested dozens of workers from
American Airlines and Sky Chef on smuggling charges after a two-year
sting operation.

The investigation exposed serious gaps in airport security -- gaps
that U.S. Attorney Tom Scott described as "dangerous and
intolerable.

As a result of the arrests, the top security official at the Federal
Aviation Administration will meet today with Miami-Dade Aviation
Director Gary Dellapa and airline officials.

The meeting between FAA Associate Administrator Cathal L. Flynn and
Dellapa is a "follow-up to last week's events, according to a
spokeswoman for the FAA who declined to provide details.

In the meantime, Customs agents said the investigation into Monday's
shipment is continuing.

John Clark, acting special agent in charge of Customs in Miami,
declined to say who sent the shipment or where it was headed. No
arrests had been made by late Monday.

Although the name Cosemar S.A. was printed on at least one box
containing the fish, Clark said he could not identify the company.
Efforts to locate the company were unsuccessful.

Agents discovered the cocaine aboard Arrow Air flight No. 628 from
Guayaquil, Ecuador, during a routine cargo check, shortly after the
flight arrived at 1:10 a.m.

A mobile X-ray machine revealed 2,720 pounds of cocaine in green and
yellow packages tucked into 22 of the 50 boxes of fresh fish. Customs
officials said the shipment, one of the largest intercepted at MIA in
recent years, had an estimated wholesale value of $21 million.

The cocaine was discovered at a time of night when few people are
around, leading Customs agents to suspect a link to airport workers,
Clark said.

Clark said no one had been implicated at Arrow Air. The company
released a statement, saying it is cooperating with the investigation.