Pubdate: Tue, 19 Mar 2002
Source: New York Times (NY)
Copyright: 2002 The New York Times Company
Contact:  http://www.nytimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/298
Section: International
Author: David Johnston

3 COLOMBIAN REBELS INCLUDED IN DRUG CHARGES BY U.S.

WASHINGTON, March 18 -- A federal grand jury has indicted seven men -- 
including three Colombian guerrillas -- on charges of conspiring to smuggle 
planeloads of cocaine from Colombia to the United States. They are the 
first felony narcotics charges brought against members of the rebel movement.

The indictment, returned on March 7 and unsealed today, identified three 
men as members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. It 
is the largest rebel group and one of three in Colombia listed by the 
United States as terrorist organizations.

One man was identified as Tomas Molina Caracas, who, according to the 
indictment, commands the rebel group's 16th Front. His forces operated in 
eastern Colombia and controlled an airstrip near Barranco Minas that the 
indictment said was used to ferry cocaine out of the region.

The indictment said the men organized shipments of cocaine out of Colombia 
from 1994 until February 2001. The charges said the rebels sold cocaine to 
international traffickers for cash, weapons and military equipment to 
support their insurgency against Colombia.

At a news conference today, Attorney General John Ashcroft said the 
indictment brought together the Justice Department's efforts to combat 
drugs and fight terrorism.

"The indictment marks the convergence of two of the top priorities of the 
Department of Justice, the prevention of terrorism and the reduction of 
illegal drug use," Mr. Ashcroft said. "Today's indictment charges leaders 
of the FARC not as revolutionaries or freedom fighters, but as drug 
traffickers."

Senior government officials said that prosecutors sought the indictment 
after a lengthy investigation, but they acknowledged that the charges were 
meant in part to show the Bush administration's support for Colombia's 
efforts against the guerrilla forces. The administration has sought to 
expand its counternarcotics assistance to aid Colombia's efforts against 
the guerrillas.

The indictment named four other people, believed to be Brazilians. Only one 
of the seven charged, Luis Fernando Da Costa, is in custody.

Cuba said today that it was holding another Colombian drug suspect, Rafael 
Miguel Bustamante Bolanos, who is wanted both here and in Colombia, the 
Associated Press reported. Cuba challenged Washington to sign an agreement 
establishing cooperation between the countries to fight the drug trade, but 
did not promise to turn over the suspect.
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