COURT PAPERS: ANTI-DRUG COMMANDER WAS LIVING WITH THE ENEMY

NEW YORK (AP) -- While Army Col. James Hiett was fighting the war on drugs
in Colombia, federal authorities say his wife was conspiring with the enemy.

Laurie Anne Hiett, 36, is accused of shipping cocaine from Bogota, Columbia,
to New York as part of a small Colombian narcotics ring, and even marking
her own return address on some of the shipments.

Mrs. Hiett, who has denied the allegations, surrendered Thursday in New York
on drug conspiracy charges. She was later released on $150,000 bail.

If convicted, she faces up to 12 years in prison.

Her attorney declined comment Friday.

The Army insists Colonel Hiett, the head of U.S. anti-drug operations in
Colombia, was unaware of the alleged crimes.

An investigation by the Army Criminal Investigation Division in Panama
cleared him of any criminal activity, and the U.S. Southern Command in Miami
said his request to be transferred is pending.

The investigation of Mrs. Hiett started in May when U.S. Customs agents
conducting a routine search in Miami intercepted a package containing 1.2
kilograms of cocaine worth an estimate $30,000, according to papers filed in
federal court in Brooklyn.

Authorities say the package was marked with Mrs. Hiett's return address and
was shipped from the U.S. Embassy in Bogota to a New York address.

When undercover officers went to that address, they found more cocaine and
documents naming Jorge Ayala, a civilian driver for U.S. military commanders
in Colombia. They also arrested Hernan Arcila, who told them he had received
five or six packages from the same source, authorities said.

Army officials in Bogota found that Mrs. Hiett had sent several packages in
April and May to either Arcila's home or a post office box rented by his
sister. They said paperwork signed by Mrs. Hiett listed the contents as
books, candy, coffee and Colombian artifacts.

When Mrs. Hiett was confronted by investigators in June, she said she had
shipped the packages for Ayala and didn't knowing what was in them. But the
investigators said became flustered in a second interview and "stated, in
substance, `I'm afraid they'll kill me."'

Mrs. Hiett "became extremely agitated and accused Army investigators of
making up a story to get her in trouble," they said.

Ayala told investigators that Mrs. Hiett used cocaine and had asked him to
buy the drug in a section of Bogata known for drug sales. Other witnesses
said they had seen her there before, the court papers said.

The U.S. earmarked $289 million for counterdrug activity in Columbia this
year. Barry McCaffrey, the White House drug control chief, said recently
that current efforts were falling short and the situation had reached
emergency proportions.