RENO ALLOWS RELEASE OF CIA COCAINE REPORT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Attorney General Janet Reno finally allowed the
release Thursday of a Justice Department report into alleged CIA involvement
in crack cocaine dealings by individuals tied to Nicaraguan rebels in the 1980s.

The report, the basic conclusion of which was known months ago, found no
evidence to support the allegations.

After a seven-month delay, Reno gave the go-ahead for Justice Department
Inspector General Michael Bromwich to make public his 407-page report
outlining the findings of his 15-month investigation.

Bromwich said Reno's decision to delay release of the report had given rise
to "groundless speculation" that she was trying to suppress findings that
may have been damaging to the Justice Department and supported the original
allegations.

At issue was a 1996 series in the San Jose Mercury News alleging that
individuals tied to the Contra rebels were primarily responsible for
flooding Los Angeles with crack cocaine in the 1980s, starting the U.S.
crack epidemic.

Bromwich and a separate investigation by the CIA inspector general found no
evidence to substantiate the allegations. Bromwich examined the Justice
Department's investigations and prosecutions of the various drug cases.

"While some drug traffickers supplying cocaine to Los Angeles drug dealers
were Contra supporters, they were investigated and pursued by the Department
of Justice," he said.

"These investigations were not always successful, but we did not find that
they were obstructed because of claims that these individuals were connected
to Contras or the CIA," he said.

"And we did not conclude, as suggested by the articles, that Ricky Ross, a
Los Angeles-based drug dealer, or his suppliers were the cause of the crack
explosion in Los Angeles or in the United States as a whole," he concluded.

Reno said in a statement that she delayed the report "to protect the
integrity of an ongoing law enforcement operation." She said that
investigation recently ended.

"By delaying the report's release, federal law enforcement officials were
able to protect the integrity of a very important - though unrelated --
investigation as well as the safety of an undercover agent, a confidential
informant and members of the informant's family," Reno said.

Checked-by: Melodi Cornett