ACCLAIMED CALI DRUG CARTEL DOCUMENTARY CALLED A FAKE

LONDON - An award-winning British television documentary, which was shown
in the United States and purported to give an inside look at the Cali drug
cartel in South America, was a fake, the Guardian newspaper claimed.

The film, shown here in October 1996 and later on HBO in the United States,
purported to show a drug courier swallowing packets of heroin to be
smuggled into Britain. It included an interview with a man alleged to be
No. 3 in the cartel.

The program, called "The Connection," has won eight national and
international awards. It has been shown in 15 countries.

The Guardian reported yesterday that, after a six-month investigation in
Britain and South America, it had determined that the people portrayed in
the film were not part of the Cali cartel but considered themselves actors
who were paid for their work by the film makers, that the courier did not
have drugs in his stomach when he flew to London and that his air ticket
was paid for by the program's producer.

The newspaper also said the program makers claimed they filmed the
interview with the so-called cartel member after being blindfolded and
taken to an unknown location, but in fact they filmed it in the producer's
hotel room. The Guardian said the courier's journey, presented as a
continuous 24-hour trip, was actually filmed in two legs, six months apart.

The program said the courier entered Britain successfully, but The Guardian
said he was stopped at London's Heathrow Airport and deported.

The documentary was made by Marc de Beaufort, who is part Colombian, and
was shown by Carlton TV, which since 1991 has had the license to operate
Britain's main independent television channel.

Carlton Communications issued a statement promising to investigate The
Guardian's allegations.

Checked-by: Richard Lake