COCAINE IS FOUND ON MILITARY PLANE

A Colombian Air Force C-130 cargo plane carrying 1,639 pounds of
cocaine has been seized at an airport in Florida, U.S. Customs Service
officials said yesterday.

The Customs agents' discovery, which took place Monday after the
military plane's arrival at Fort Lauderdale International Airport,
prompted Air Force Chief Gen. Manuel Sandoval of Colombia to offer his
resignation.

"In this case, as commander, I assume the responsibility," Gen.
Sandoval said at a press conference in Bogota. "I have submitted my
resignation to the president of the republic."

Also yesterday, customs agents in Seattle announced they have seized
14 tons of hashish destined for Canada aboard two ships, one of which
was being unloaded in British Columbia.

The seizure of cocaine in Florida comes two weeks after Colombian
President Andres Pastrana visited Washington and pledged to
"de-narcoticize our relations" by fighting drug trafficking.

Colombia's poor record of controlling drug smuggling has strained
relations between the two nations. The United States stripped Mr.
Pastrana's predecessor, Ernesto Samper, of his tourist visa after he
was accused of accepting $6 million in drug money to fund his 1994
election campaign.

Customs officials said the C-130 arrived at Fort Lauderdale at about
2:30 p.m. Monday carrying a flight crew of six, a family of five as
passengers and a small amount of cargo. Shortly after its arrival,
customs inspectors were invited to board the aircraft to conduct a
routine search.

Agents said some large metal pallets aboard the aircraft contained
unusual rivets, and inspectors smelled fresh glue. A Customs Service
drug-sniffing dog was brought in and alerted agents to the presence of
the cocaine.

Customs officials said that agents drilled into the pallets and
discovered a white powder that field-tested positive for cocaine. They
then dismantled the pallets and discovered the cocaine within four of
them.

The aircraft's crew and passengers were questioned and released. No
arrests have been made. Customs agents are continuing their
investigation into the smuggling incident with assistance of the
Colombian government.

In the past, customs inspectors have searched the Colombian military's
regular C-130 flight without incident. In Washington, U.S. Customs
Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said: "While the facts of this case are
disturbing, I am particularly pleased with the way customs officers
and Colombian government officials are working together."

Last week, three junior Colombian Air Force officers were sentenced in
Colombia to prison terms for an incident in September 1996, when 4
kilograms of heroin were found aboard Colombia's presidential jet
shortly before it was to fly Mr. Samper to New York for a meeting at
the United Nations.

The judge in the case said evidence showed senior Air Force officers
were involved in drug trafficking. He referred to the existence of a
so-called "blue cartel," a reference to the color of Colombian Air
Force uniforms.

Colombia is the world's leading cocaine producer and an increasingly
important supplier of the heroin sold on U.S. streets.

The hashish was seized Nov. 5 from the Ansare II, a 60-foot fishing
vessel, and the "mother ship," the Blue Dawn, an 86-foot fishing
vessel registered in Pakistan.

Agents found 11 tons of hashish on the Ansare as it was being unloaded
in Fanny Bay, about 100 miles north of Victoria on Vancouver Island.
Another three tons was found aboard the Blue Dawn after being
intercepted by the Coast Guard cutter Active 300 miles off the
Canadian coast.

"This investigation would not have been successful without the close
cooperation of the over 200 U.S. and Canadian law enforcement officers
who worked this case," said agent Shelley Altenstadter, who heads the
customs office in Seattle.

Checked-by: Patrick Henry