JAMAICA'S `DRUG MULES' PUT BURDEN ON ERS

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) -- Jamaica's war on drugs is being fought daily in
the bustling emergency room of its biggest public hospital, where doctors
are overwhelmed by increasing numbers of "drug mules."

Most are women in their early 20s who swallow cocaine-filled condoms before
boarding international flights, said Evadne Martin-Clarke, the physician in
charge of Kingston Public Hospital's emergency room.

"The past week we have got about 75 suspected cases and, of those, one
third have been confirmed" to be carrying cocaine, she said in an interview
Thursday.

"We already have a lot of trauma (cases) coming in, so it's putting quite a
strain on all the departments."

Typically, drug smugglers are caught trying to get on flights to Britain
that depart late at night, and they arrive at the emergency room's busiest
time, said Dr. Richard Harrison.

"We're low-staffed then and the problems that usually come in at that time
of night are usually quite critical. Usually, that's when you look at the
accidents and gunshot wounds," he said.

Harrison said 12 suspects arrived during one recent eight-hour shift, and
eight during the next.

Britain is an attractive destination for Jamaican smugglers because
citizens of this former British colony can travel there without visas.

Harrison said the mules swallow a few condoms - or more than 100.

Since early April, the emergency room has seen a 50 to 75 percent jump in
drug mules, who are guarded by police at the hospital, he said.

The increase came soon after National Security Minister Peter Phillips
announced a crackdown on drug traffickers, which he blames for Jamaica's
soaring crime.

At the same time, police began a more sophisticated type of profiling. "In
one day alone, police selected 50 persons ... and 25 of them were
positive," said Donovan Nelson, a spokesman for the Ministry of National
Security.

This island of 2.6 million is considered one of the major drug shipment
points in the Caribbean, along with Haiti.

Phillips also announced that Jamaican police would watch for smugglers. His
initiative came after British officials reportedly suggested requiring
visas for Jamaicans in a bid to stem the flow of drugs.

At the emergency room in Kingston, the mules are given X-rays, and
laxatives when drugs are detected. The smugglers take up limited beds and
resources during the several days it can take them to expel the condoms.

Occasionally, drug mules die when condoms leak. "We have had a few deaths,
not very many," said Martin-Clarke.

Nelson said smugglers get paid $1,700 to $4,255 - a lot of money in a
country where the average income is $3,700 a year.

Some never get paid, Nelson said.