IN THIS CASE, CUBA-U.S. TEAMWORK NETTED BIG SCORE

HAVANA - On Oct. 1, 1996, U.S. Coast Guard officers watched in frustration
as the Honduras-registered freighter Limerick -- sinking, abandoned and
carrying a large quantity of cocaine -- drifted into Cuban waters and
seemingly out of their reach.

As it happened, however, the Cuban government was more than willing to help.

Alerted by a Coast Guard request relayed through British diplomatic
channels, Cuban authorities hauled the ship to shore and -- with help from
U.S. law enforcement agents -- discovered the hidden cargo, which they
turned over to U.S. authorities for use in the trial of the ship's captain
and crew. Cuban border guards even flew to Miami to testify.

"They were really very cooperative," said James Milford, who was the DEA's
deputy director at the time. "Any way you look at it, they deserve a lot of
credit."

The United States continues to bar most trade with Cuba, and the countries
have not had diplomatic relations since 1961. But law enforcement officials
in both countries say the unprecedented level of cooperation in the Limerick
case shows how political differences can be set aside in pursuit of a common
goal.

The case began when the Coast Guard, acting on an intelligence tip, stopped
the freighter in international waters north of Cuba on suspicion that it was
carrying two tons of cocaine. But as a Coast Guard party boarded the ship,
the 11-man crew tried to scuttle it, forcing the Coast Guard to evacuate the
crew and abandon the vessel.

Using the British as intermediaries, the Coast Guard asked the Cuban border
patrol to try to salvage the 220-foot ship, which had drifted into Cuban
territory, was taking on water and was about to sink, according to U.S.,
British and Cuban officials. The Cubans agreed and towed the ship to shore.

Acting on U.S. intelligence, Cuban authorities began dismantling the ship
and discovered a hidden cache of about two tons of cocaine, according to Lt.
Col. Oscar Garcia, deputy commander of Cuba's anti-drug police. The United
States subsequently passed along new intelligence indicating that even more
cocaine might be concealed on the ship, whose voyage had originated in
Barranquilla, Colombia.

The Cubans agreed to let U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Justice
Department officials join them in the first joint counter-drug operation
between the two countries, according to U.S. and Cuban officials.

After spending two weeks dismantling the ship, investigators from the two
countries discovered six more tons of cocaine, for a total haul of eight
tons -- one of the largest cocaine seizures in history. The DEA dispatched
planes to Cuba to carry the evidence back to Miami.

After what officials described as a heated debate within the Justice
Department, the DEA was authorized to ask Cuba to provide testimony in the
case. Cuba sent four border patrol guards to Miami, where they were kept
under heavy security during their week-long stay because of threats from
Cuban Americans, U.S. and Cuban officials said.

The captain and chief engineer of the Limerick, both Colombians, were
convicted in June 1997 on drug charges and sentenced to 30 years in prison.
The other crew members were not tried.