NO ORGANISED CRIME LINK IN ARMY DRUG BUST

Northern Territory police says there is no evidence to support claims
that drug use at the Palmerston's Robertson Army Barracks is linked to
organised crime.

Military and civil police raided the defence facility in October last
year after a tip-off that illicit substances were being used at the
barracks.

Ninety-seven soldiers submitted urine samples and 47 tested positive
for illegal drugs.

An article in today's Bulletin magazine quotes NT Police Commander
George Owen as saying the source of the drugs in some circumstances
came from organised crime.

The magazine says police are concerned about the disappearance of
weapons, ammunition and night-vision goggles from the Robertson
Barracks and suspect soldiers have traded them with bikies for drugs.

Northern Territory Police have issued a statement saying there is no
evidence of a direct link between those soldiers and organised crime
groups.

They also say there is no evidence that crime gangs have received
stolen weapons.

The commander of the 47 soldiers who tested positive for drugs last
October, Brigadier Ash Power, says the problem is under control.

"I'm not going to talk about drugs any more - it's an old issue," he
said.

"We dealt with this in October this year.

"We have a random and targeted policy on checking those who may be
involved with drugs that's going to be implemented and that's an
ongoing process and that's all I'm going to say on drugs."