ALABAMA SENATOR'S SON CAUGHT AT AIRPORT WITH HASHISH

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The youngest son of Alabama senator Richard Shelby was
arrested on drug charges last week at Atlanta's Hartsfield International
Airport, customs officials said Tuesday.

Claude Nevin Shelby, 32, of Tuscaloosa, Ala., was taken into custody last
Friday after U.S. Customs Service inspectors using a drug-sniffing dog found
13.8 grams of hashish in his possession, officials said.

Shelby, who had arrived at the airport on a Delta Airline flight from
London, was issued a $500 administrative penalty by Customs officers. After
paying the fine on the spot, he was turned over to the Clayton County
Sheriff's Department for state prosecution.

He was released from the Clayton County jail on Friday, according to a jail
official, who would not give his name. He referred questions on possible
state charges to Clayton County Sheriff Stanley Tuggle, who was not
immediately available.

Shelby's father, a Republican who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee,
said in a statement that he and his family ``are shocked and saddened by the
misdemeanor possession charge against my son and I will stand by him through
this difficult ordeal.''

``However, I do not condone any violation of the controlled substance act,
including marijuana derivatives,'' he said. ``My position on fighting
illegal drugs is well known. It continues to be a priority for me regardless
of personal circumstances.''

Claude Shelby, a real estate investor, is married and has one child.

Checked-by: Melodi Cornett