DOCTOR GRAFTED SKIN TO AID DRUG DEALERS, U.S. AUTHORITIES SAY

A Mexican doctor surgically removed drug traffickers' fingerprints,
substituting skin from the soles of their feet, to help the
traffickers avoid arrest, the authorities said Friday.

The doctor, Jose L. Covarrubias, was arrested at the Mexican border
on Wednesday as he tried to enter the United Stated. He was indicted
the same day in connection with a marijuana-dealing ring based here.

The indictment says Dr. Covarrubias surgically removed the
fingerprints of Marc George, a co-defendant named in the drug
indictment. The doctor is believed to have performed the surgery for
about four other people, said William Behe, an assistant United
States attorney.

"We heard those stories," Mr. Behe said, "but we didn't believe them
when we heard them during the course of the investigation. We caught
Marc George, and we all became believers."

Mr. Behe said Mr. George's hands were still mangled from the
procedure, which the authorities believe Dr. Covarrubias did in mid-2005.

Dr. Covarrubias, 49, was charged with conspiring to distribute more
than a ton of marijuana in central Pennsylvania and elsewhere and
with being an accomplice and accessory after the fact to marijuana
dealing. He is a Mexican citizen and lives in both Nogales, Mexico,
and Nogales, Ariz.

The charges are the result of an investigation into a drug ring based
here. Thirty-four people have been charged, and 27 have pleaded
guilty or are expected to plead guilty.

Mr. George, 42, of Jamaica, was indicted on charges of money
laundering and drug trafficking.

It could not immediately determined if Dr. Covarrubias has a lawyer.
A telephone message left for Mr. George's lawyer brought no reply.