March 24, 1997

* One in 20 Britons Alcoholic

Alcoholics in Britain now outnumber drug addicts by two to one,
according to a survey released here today. One in 20
Britons is addicted to drink, with nearly two million men
and women regularly downing dangerous amounts. [XINHUA,
BASIC, 220 words]

Colombian police seize fruitflavored cocaine

Antinarcotics police in Bogota seized 340 pounds of fruitflavored
cocaine bound for Miami on Saturday, the authorities said. The
drug had been mixed with crushed blackberries and pineapples in
order to mask the smell and fool police sniffer dogs. [Reuters,
PAY PER VIEW, 125 words, $1.00]

Baker arrested after police find cocaine in bread

A Colombian baker was arrested for hiding cocaine in his bread rolls,
police said on Sunday. [Reuters, PAY PER VIEW, 114 words,
$1.00]

72yearold arrested in Peruvian cocaine bust

Police on Thursday arrested a 72yearold U.S. woman boarding a plane
bound for New York and alleged that she had 17 pounds of
cocaine in her bag, police said. [Reuters, PAY PER VIEW, 176
words, $1.00]

Tobacco's addictive nature well known, experts say

Doctors, psychologists and antismoking campaigners say they have had
proof for years that smoking not only causes cancer and heart
disease, but is as addictive as heroin or cocaine. [Reuters,
PAY PER VIEW, 561 words, $1.00]

Bulgarian customs seize 44.5 kg of heroin

Bulgarian customs officers said on Friday they had seized 44.5 kg of
heroin smuggled on board a Turkishregistered tourist bus from
Turkey. [Reuters, PAY PER VIEW, 133 words, $1.00]

Italian police seize 17 tons of marijuana

Seventeen tons of marijuana, worth some dlrs 15 million, sat unclaimed
for a month aboard a freighter that arrived from Guatemala.
[Associated Press, PREMIUM, 66 words]

Agents net 23 bales of cocaine in joint airsea operation

Federal agents seized 23 bales of cocaine in two weekend operations
off Puerto Rico's northeast coast, the U.S. Coast Guard said
Sunday. [Associated Press, PREMIUM, 251 words]