DRUG ITEMS FOUND IN SLAIN MEXICAN COMIC'S VAN

MEXICO CITY -- Police said Wednesday they uncovered possible drug
paraphernalia in Francisco "Paco" Stanley's minivan, fueling
speculation that the comedian's slaying Monday was a drug-related hit.

Police said they searched Stanley's Lincoln minivan for clues and
found a small mortar and pestle, items frequently used to crush
cocaine into powder.

On Monday, police found cocaine packets in Stanley's clothes after he
was gunned down leaving an upscale Mexico City restaurant. Medical
examiners also confirmed they found traces of cocaine in Stanley's
blood.

Also, city Attorney General Samuel Del Villar revealed that
investigators had found an Interior Secretariat credential falsely
identifying Stanley as a public employee authorized to carry a gun.

Federal Deputy Interior Secretary Jorge Tello Peon admitted on
Wednesday that the card, issued May 11, was "irregular." But he said
it was issued due to "a state of emergency" because "Mr. Stanley's
safety was in question."

The entertainer had been robbed several times and apparently had
received threats.

Stanley's son, Francisco Daniel, blasted news accounts linking his
father to drug dealers.

A musician who worked for Stanley said the comedian never openly used
drugs on the set. But the musician, who asked not to be identified,
said Stanley spent most of his off-screen hours "partying" in private
with a steady stream of friends who crowded the backstage area.

"We deduced that drugs were happening," the former employee said in an
interview. "In this business it is so easy to get your hands on any
kind of drug you want, and off the set Stanley partied all the time."

The discoveries possibly connecting Stanley to drug use embarrassed
the Azteca network, which aired his daily variety show. The network
has recently led a high-profile public service campaign against drug
use.

The Mexico City daily newspaper El Universal alleged Stanley was
connected to notorious crime syndicates.

The newspaper claimed Stanley was a friend of the late Amado Carrillo
Fuentes, who headed the Juarez drug cartel until his death after
plastic surgery in 1997.

Citing government anti-drug police and military intelligence files,
the newspaper said Stanley frequented billiard parlors with Carrillo
Fuentes, and stayed at posh beach resorts the government believes are
owned by drug dealers.

Military officials again denied the existence of files linking Stanley
to former Gen. Jesus Gutierrez Rebollo, once Mexico's top anti-drug
cop, now imprisoned on charges he was working with Carrillo Fuentes.