JAILED DRUG LORDS MAY GET 2 WEEKS OFF

BOGOTA, Colombia Weekend passes for jailed drug lords?

You bet. And there's more. Under a proposed law, imprisoned drug barons
could get regular 15day permits to get out of jail.

They could visit loved ones, travel around Colombia and enjoy unrestricted
movement under a proposal passed overwhelmingly this week by the Senate.

Actually, the proposal is a rollback from a more sweeping plan passed by
the lower House Dec. 2 that would have partially emptied overcrowded jails
and given 40 percent term reductions to the jailed capos of the Cali
Cartel.

That proposal sparked indignation in Washington and led to the compromise
plan, which is nearly certain to be signed into law.

President Ernesto Samper declared the plan a victory but bristled at a
banner headline in the El Tiempo newspaper that said: ``Narcos will get out
on weekends.''

``In spite of the bad faith shown by some headlines we have seen today, the
new proposal is the result of joint efforts by the government, the
prosecutor's office, the attorney general and the Senate,'' he said in
Medellín.

Imprisoned drug lords already enjoy cable television, private baths,
conjugal visits and special cooks in their private maximumsecurity cell
blocks, as well as daily meetings with their lawyers.

U.S. drug enforcement officials say they can't name a single jailed cartel
leader who doesn't continue to arrange narcotics smuggling from prison.

In runofthemill cell blocks, inmates live in what Samper described as
``inhuman conditions.'' Dozens of riots have broken out this year.

The Senate plan is designed to free about 13,000 of the 43,221 prisoners
currently jammed into Colombia's 168 jails. It offers immediate parole to
most inmates who have completed threefifths of their prison terms, pending
an OK from a judge.

Convicted drug lords, guerrilla chiefs, sex offenders, kidnappers, pimps,
torturers and some other felons would not be eligible for the parole.

But once they complete fourfifths of their prison term, and have no marks
against them for poor behavior or attempted escapes, they could apply for
the weekend passes and the occasional 15day leave. Colombia's national
prison director would grant the privileges at his discretion.

None of the six major imprisoned Cali Cartel leaders has yet completed
fourfifths of his prison term.

A joint HouseSenate committee will now hash over the new proposal. Samper
said he would sign the compromise into law.