84 MARINES, SAILORS IN NC ARE ARRESTED IN $14 MILLION DRUG BUST

WASHINGTON (AP) - Authorities in North Carolina have seized $1.4 million
worth of narcotics and have convicted more than 80 Marines and sailors of
using or distributing designer drugs, officials said Tuesday.

It was one of the biggest drug investigations involving the military in
recent years. Although narcotics cases in the military are not rare, they
usually involve smaller numbers of people. A recent drug scandal at the Air
Force Academy, for example, implicated 38 cadets.

Officials said Tuesday that a two-year investigation, code-named Operation
Xterminator, was conducted by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service
office at Camp Lejeune, N.C., outside of Jacksonville, along with state and
local authorities.

The investigation began in February 2000 after Camp Lejeune officials were
alerted that a large number of service members were frequenting clubs in
Wilmington, N.C., where designer drugs were prevalent, according to a
statement released Tuesday by the Camp Lejeune public affairs office.

The drugs involved were ecstasy, cocaine, LSD and methamphetamine, Marine
Corps officials said.

The operation included 105 separate investigations and ended June 19.

Officials said more details would be released at a news conference
Wednesday at Camp Lejeune.

The investigation led to drug charges against 84 active-duty service
members. A Marine Corps official said 99 percent of those charged were
convicted under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and two cases are
still pending.

Of the 84 charged, 61 were accused of distributing drugs and 23 were
accused of using them.

An additional 99 civilians were charged by civilian authorities.

Officials provided no information on the sentences meted out to convicted
military members.

Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the maximum punishment for
wrongful distribution of drugs is confinement for 15 years, dishonorable
discharge and forfeiture of all pay and allowances. For wrongful use of
drugs, the maximum punishment is confinement for five years, dishonorable
discharge and forfeiture of all pay and allowances.

It was not clear Tuesday whether the Marine Corps was planning additional
steps to deter use of illicit drugs. Last December, well after Operation
Xterminator was under way, the Marine Corps established a random
computerized system to standardize urinalysis throughout the service.

Navy regulations require all Marines and sailors to take a urinalysis
examination every year.

Marine Corps officials said that while they are concerned by any illicit
drug use, the 84 service members charged in the investigation represent
only 0.001 percent of the 50,000 to 60,000 Marines and sailors who served
in the Camp Lejeune area during the time of the investigation.