$11 MILLION DRUG MONEY SHARED

TALLAHASSEE Several Florida and federal law enforcement agencies
split just over $11 million Friday in proceeds confiscated from
imprisoned drug dealer Claude Duboc, the second multimillion dollar
distribution in as many years.

The largest award, $5.8 million, went to the Internal Revenue Service
while the Gainesville Police Department received nearly $3.6 million.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement was given $1.5 million, and
the Eighth Judicial Circuit Special Investigations Unit received $341,000.

Last year, $15 million taken from Duboc was distributed.

"This is the latest gift that keeps on giving," U.S. Attorney Gregory
Miller said. "Crime pays, sometimes, for law enforcement agencies
that are involved in complex, long-term investigations."

The money distributed came from the sale of roughly $17 million in
BioChem Pharma stock forfeited by Duboc to the government. The drug
smuggler forfeited property worth more than $100 million as well.

Duboc's international drug operation was importing up to 169 metric
tons of hashish a year during its peak, authorities said.

IRS agents spent more than 10,000 hours on the case since 1996 in
addition to the manpower devoted by other federal, state and local
agencies since the case was initiated in Gainesville in the early 1990s.

Gainesville police Lt. Mark Knowles said some of their award would be
used to hire more drug officers.

Randall Bohman, assistant special agent in charge of the Drug
Enforcement Administration's Jacksonville office, said U.S.
authorities also received the cooperation from colleagues in at least
20 foreign countries.

Duboc, who was convicted of conspiracy to import hashish and
marijuana and conspiracy to launder drug proceeds, is serving a life
sentence in California.

Criminal defense attorney F. Lee Bailey, who represented Duboc, was
jailed and eventually disbarred in Florida for transferring about $6
million worth of Duboc's stock to his own Swiss bank account for personal use.