COLOMBIA TURNS DRUG PLANES INTO OCEAN REEFS

Colombia is transforming light planes once used for carrying multi-million
dollar cargoes of cocaine into "fish restaurants," environment officials
said Monday. Marking the start of its so-called "Wings for Life" program,
the Environment Ministry sank six planes, confiscated from drug
traffickers, off the Caribbean coast near the port city of Barranquilla
Monday. The aircraft hulks, weighed down with cement, will form an
artificial underwater reef and within a year are expected to host a rich
variety of marine life. At least 40 other aircraft, seized as part of
Colombia's drug war, have been earmarked for the same purpose and are
likely to be dumped later this year, according to a ministry spokesman.

Checked-by: (Joel W. Johnson)