Pubdate: Mon, 13 Mar 2000 Source: Age, The (Australia) Copyright: 2000 David Syme & Co Ltd Contact: 250 Spencer Street, Melbourne, 3000, Australia Website: http://www.theage.com.au/ Author: Les Kennedy DRUG `STUNT' MAY SEE MEN FREED A "publicity stunt" by the federal Justice Minister, Senator Amanda Vanstone, in which cocaine valued at $120million was destroyed before media cameras, could lead to dismissal of charges against those accused of importing the drugs. Lawyers acting for seven men charged with importing a record half a tonne of cocaine, seized from a yacht last month, have accused the minister of denying their clients natural justice by ordering the destruction. The burning of the drug by Federal Police and Customs at an industrial incinerator in Sydney last Tuesday occurred despite defence solicitors' pleas to Senator Vanstone and Federal Police to halt the destruction. After the drugs were destroyed Senator Vanstone told the Senate: "It sends a very clear message to drug traffickers: their money goes up the chimney and their colleagues will spend years in prison. "There wouldn't be a drug cartel in the world that can happily lose 500 kilos of cocaine. This is a serious blow to any business." Solicitors Ms Rosemary Freeman and Ms Deb Paton have accused Federal Police and the minister's office of failing to inform them of the decision to destroy the cocaine and ignoring requests for a viewing and an independent analysis of the drug's content. The destruction occurred a day before Federal Police were required to serve the brief of evidence detailing their investigation into the 1 February seizure from the yacht. At the time Federal Police and Customs trumpeted the success of the operation because of the introduction of new technology, including long-range surveillance equipment, vessels and aircraft. Ms Freeman and Ms Paton said they were stunned to learn of the "stunt" at virtually the "11th hour" on Tuesday and had made many phone and written fax requests to the minister's office, the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions and Federal Police that day to try to stop the destruction. Ms Paton said she had asked Federal Police in mid-February for a "viewing" of the cocaine, being held in the AFP's Sydney drugs vault, but had received no reply. Ms Paton said she learnt by chance of the AFP's decision to destroy the drugs about 10am on Tuesday from a radio report. She contacted the AFP, Commonwealth DPP and the minister's office to try to have the destruction cancelled. A spokesman for Senator Vanstone said the burn-off was in accordance with national guidelines allowing for the quick destruction of large quantities of alleged drugs seized. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek Rea