COLOMBIA SAYS MAJOR DRUG RING HAS BEEN DISMANTLED

Officials in Colombia said Wednesday that they had dismantled a drug ring
that operated out of at least five countries to ship cocaine and heroin to
New York.

"This is one of the most important operations against multinational drug
traffickers that we've carried out in the last few years," national Police
Chief Gen. Rosso Jose Serrano said.

He said the crackdown on the criminal organization, called "Operation
Pelican," was conducted in close cooperation with the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration and police in Mexico, Guatemala, Panama and
Chile.

ELSEWHERE IN THE REGION:

UNDER CONTROL: Hundreds of police and army troops took over Bolivia's
cocaine-producing region Wednesday and cleared roadblocks after a week of
violence that left at least four dead. Soldiers encountered some
resistance, but were able to clear the roads for hundreds of vehicles
stranded for nearly a week.