CHINESE, U.S. SEIZE OVER 300 POUNDS OF COCAINE

BEIJING - Chinese and U.S. agents seized more than 300 pounds of
cocaine smuggled from Colombia, authorities said Tuesday - a record
bust for China that underscores how South American narcotics gangs are
aggressively moving into Asia.

Nine people were arrested. Chinese television footage showed a locker
stacked high with dozens of bricks of smuggled cocaine, some with a
yin yang symbol embossed on the solid white blocks.

The suspects include two Colombian citizens arrested in Hong Kong and
mainland China, said Liu Guangping, spokesman for the Customs General
Administration of China.

"It's pretty clear from this just how daunting a task we face," Liu
told reporters. He said it was by far the largest seizure of cocaine
ever made in China.

A joint inquiry by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and customs agents
in Hong Kong and mainland China uncovered the network of Colombian
drug gangs and criminals from Hong Kong and China. They were working
to distribute "multi-hundred kilograms (pound) quantities" of cocaine
in Asia, said William Fiebig, a DEA special agent based in Beijing.

"This is extremely significant as it confirms that Colombian drug
trafficking organizations are expanding their distribution operations
into Asia and that large quantities of cocaine are already being
imported into the mainland," Fiebig said.

Agents said the gang intended to send at least some of the cocaine
overseas again, first to Hong Kong, than to Thailand and as far away
as West Africa.

"It's a market, a huge market," said Fiebig. "Why are other businesses
coming to Asia?"

Liu said authorities also discovered a drug lab tied to the gang
during their investigation.

No details were given, although photos of the raid provided by police
showed bottles of ethyl ether - a key ingredient in making highly
addictive crack cocaine.