CIA PROBES CUBAN LINK TO DRUG TRADE

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The State Department and the CIA are looking into a
possible Cuban connection in the U.S. drug trade, with water and air space
lightly patrolled by Fidel Castro's government offering a tempting route for
Colombian cocaine and heroin.

But for Castro, who has been portraying himself as an effective warrior
against drug trafficking, the latest concern mixes the message from
Washington.

Hours after the Senate voted earlier this month to ease restrictions on the
sale of food and medicine to Cuba, anti-Castro Republicans scored a victory
in their quest to focus a spotlight on use of Cuban waters by drug barons.

They convinced the Clinton administration to look into an abortive cocaine
shipment intended to go through Cuban waters last December. There is no
suggestion that the Cuban government itself had any involvement with the
shipment.

Cuba has vowed to pursue the drug war vigorously. Three weeks ago, Castro
even invited the United States to join him in an anti-drug campaign so the
two countries could become ``one of the greatest alliances against drug
trafficking.''

Gen. Barry McCaffrey, director of the Office of National Drug Control
Policy, acknowledges that traffickers have been making increased use of
Cuban air space and territorial waters. But, he notes, Cuba maintains it
does not have the resources to patrol these large areas, especially its
territorial waters.

``There is no conclusive evidence to indicate that Cuban leadership is
currently involved in this criminal activity,'' McCaffrey says.

Castro's detractors object even to the limited U.S.-Cuban anti-drug
cooperation now in place, saying the evidence suggests an official Cuban
role in supporting drug trafficking.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said it is preposterous for the administration to
give Castro credibility on the drug issue, contending the Cuban leader is
notorious for helping drug traffickers. Similar objections were raised by
Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, who, like Ros-Lehtinen, is a Cuban-born South
Florida Republican.

But congressional critics of the embargo are showing surprising strength of
late. The Senate vote to ease restrictions on the sale of food and medicine
represented a rare defeat for anti-Castro hardliners.

It was a victory for farm groups eager for an expansion of U.S. markets
abroad. Two Democratic senators from farm states, Minority Leader Tom
Daschle of South Dakota and Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, led a U.S.
delegations for talks over the weekend with the Castro government.

Impetus for the inquiry into a Cuban drug connection came with a House
committee report on the seizure of a 7.5-ton cocaine shipment by Colombia's
narcotics police.

According to the report, a senior Drug Enforcement Administration official
told investigators that ``in all likelihood the Dec. 3 shipment of cocaine
to Cuba was eventually meant to transit through Mexico and on to the U.S.''

Cuba says the shipment was earmarked for Spain. The State Department
initially agreed but now is not so sure.

Earlier in August, on the day after the Senate vote on easing the embargo,
the State Department asked the CIA to ``conduct an all-source review of
intelligence community and law enforcement community data to shed further
light on the ultimate destination of this shipment.''

A CIA finding that the shipment was intended to reach U.S. markets after
passing through Cuban waters could lead to Cuba's placement on the so-called
``Major's List'' of drug trafficking countries.

Castro's opponents in Congress are pushing for the State Department to apply
that designation to Cuba. That would subject Cuba, much like Colombia and
Mexico, to a State Department evaluation of its anti-drug performance each
year.

Countries found to have lax counterdrug programs can be subject to
sanctions. Such a finding would have no impact on Cuba, which is already
under comprehensive sanctions.

Still, it would be a blow to Castro's efforts to build an anti-drug image.
It also could be used as a weapon by his U.S. critics, many of whom suspect
the Clinton administration is seeking cozier relations with the island.

The campaign for Cuba's inclusion on the list is being led by the chairman
of the House International Relations Committee, Rep. Benjamin Gilman,
R-N.Y., and the chairman of the House Government Reform and Oversight
Committee, Dan Burton, R-Ind.

Being on the list, which has 28 countries, does not imply that the
government in question is working with traffickers.

Virtually all Andean countries plus Mexico are on the list. As of the most
recent State Department evaluation, all were ``certified'' as fully
cooperating with U.S. counternarcotics efforts.