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: trikydik@inil.com (trikydik)