CHARGES SAY AIRPORT WORKERS RAN DRUGS

MIAMI, FLORIDA -- A gang of Miami airport workers used their security
passes to smuggle cocaine and heroin aboard passenger jets from
Colombia, the latest in a string of security breaches at one of the
busiest aviation crossroads in the Americas, U.S. officials said Friday.

U.S. prosecutors unsealed indictments charging 10 current or former
employees of airport services and security companies at Miami
International Airport with federal offenses including conspiracy to
possess and distribute narcotics.

The U.S. Customs Service said the ring secreted cocaine in the
interior panels of the cargo holds on Avianca passenger jets from Colombia.

Miami International, a critical hub for connections between the United
States and South America, has been plagued by security lapses since a
federal investigation dubbed "Operation Ramp Rats" resulted in charges
against airline and food service workers for smuggling drugs and
weapons in August 1999.