U.S. INTERCEPTS HUGE COCAINE SHIPMENT

HOUSTON - U.S. law enforcement agencies have seized 9,500
pounds of cocaine, worth up to $186 million, discovered during an
inspection at sea, the Coast Guard said Thursday.

Coast Guard officials boarded the Panamanian-registered bulk cargo
carrier Cannes Jan. 13 for a routine inspection and found the cocaine
hidden among a cargo of iron ore.

The ship was bound for Houston, Texas, and was boarded 125 miles
southwest of Jamaica.

Authorities believe the iron ore was loaded in Brazil Dec. 20 and that
the ship's last port of call before the Coast Guard inspection was in
Trinidad Jan. 6.

The Coast Guard requested and received permission from Panama to apply
U.S. law and the ship was then allowed to continue its voyage to
Houston, escorted by the Coast Guard.

The U.S. Customs service took charge of the drugs in Houston and
launched an investigation in cooperation with the Drug Enforcement
Administration.

As of Thursday morning, five members of the 24-member multinational
crew had been arrested, but authorities said the investigation was
continuing and more arrests could follow.

``This amount of cocaine could put at least one dose of the drug in
the hands of every school child across America,'' U.S. Transport
Secretary Rodney Slater told reporters in Houston.

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