UKP8M COCAINE FIND ON MILITARY PLANE

GENERAL JOSE MANUEL SANDOVAL, the commander of the Colombian air force,
resigned yesterday after a military plane was discovered by Florida customs
officers to be carrying UKP8 million of cocaine.

About 1,600lb of cocaine was discovered hidden in metal pallets used to
move heavy goods in and out of the aircraft, a C-130 Hercules. The seizure
is particular embarrassing for President Andres Pastrana, who recently
returned from the first official visit to America by a Colombian head of
state in 23 years. The Hercules is used regularly to shuttle supplies
between southern Florida and Colombia for the Colombian air force
purchasing agency.

The Customs inspectors became suspicious after discovering some unusual
rivets on the pallets during a routine search, said Mike Sheehan, a Customs
spokesman. They could smell freshly-applied glue. Sniffer dogs were brought
in and 700 packages of cocaine were found in four of the pallets.

No arrests were made. The crew of six, including the pilot, co-pilot,
navigator and three technicians, were questioned and released. Mr Sheehan
said: "We found no connection between them and the drugs. The big question
is, who put the drugs in the pallets in Colombia and who was going to
remove them here?"

The use of official Colombian aircraft to smuggle drug is nothing new. In
1996, 8.8lb of heroin was found in the nose section of then-president
Ernesto Samper's official jet as he prepared to leave for a meeting of the
United Nations General Assembly in New York. Three junior officers in the
Colombian air force were jailed.

Checked-by: Joel W. Johnson