DRUG SMUGGLING INVOLVES VERY FEW, MILITARY SAYS

SAN DIEGO - Military officials say drug-smuggling investigations of at
least 50 Marines and sailors do not reflect widespread drug trafficking by
U.S. servicemen.

Some servicemen have helped drug rings smuggle cocaine and marijuana into
California, sometimes using their military training or positions to assist
traffickers, the Los Angeles Times reported yesterday.

"To the best of our knowledge, these are isolated incidents," Wayne
Clookie, a special agent for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, told
the newspaper.

Clookie said the servicemen who have been investigated or are under
investigation represent just a fraction of more than 100,000 personnel in
the San Diego area.

"We have no information which would indicate drug smuggling is a widespread
problem," he said.

Although officials declined to provide specific details, five cases
involved Marines who allegedly drove narcotics through Camp Pendleton to
bypass the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint on nearby Interstate 5. The site
is 60 miles north of Tijuana.

Out of the active-duty force of 1.4 million, 4,888 servicemen and women
were discharged in fiscal 1998 for drug-related misconduct, predominantly
marijuana and cocaine use, said Lt. Col. Tom Begines, a Department of
Defense spokesman in Washington.

U.S. Customs Service agents have investigated 10 to 15 cases of military
men and reservists involved in narcotics trafficking, the Los Angeles Times
said, citing an unidentified federal official.

Federal drug agents also arrested some servicemen who allegedly were
working for Mexican drug rings, records showed.

Authorities said most of the rings had ties to the Arellano-Felix cartel of
Tijuana, which brings tons of cocaine and marijuana into the United States.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski