DON'T MAKE HEROES OF THEM

Re: Fight the drug war, pay the bill, June 18.

It is ludicrous that the jury did not believe that the captain and at
least some of the Yalta's crew had knowledge of the four tons of
cocaine apparently loaded in Colombia. The lone guilty-pleading
Colombian and the one crewman did not load the contraband cargo by
themselves. Regardless, it is the master's duty and responsibility to
know what is being put on his ship.

The law in this case relieved U.S. interdiction forces from having to
prove that narcotics found on boats and ships were bound for the
United States. Many drug-bearing vessels with legitimate cargos headed
for foreign countries have a history and the opportunity of offloading
narcotics to pickup boats (frequently more than a hundred miles at
sea) as they pass our shores.

Media articles that make heroes of acquitted drug boat crews do a
disservice to our dedicated drug enforcement agencies.

CHARLES M. FUSS JR.

St. Pete Beach