Pubdate: Fri, 02 Sep 2005
Source: Arizona Daily Star (AZ)
Copyright: 2005 Pulitzer Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.azstarnet.com/star/today/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/23
Author: Carol Ann Alaimo
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)

D-M AIRMAN GIVEN 5 YEARS IN COCAINE-TRAFFICKING STING

A Davis-Monthan airman will spend five years in prison and is being booted 
from the military for her part in a massive cocaine-trafficking sting.

Senior Airman Manuela D.C. Scott, of the 355th Mission Support Squadron, 
was sentenced Wednesday to five years in confinement and a dishonorable 
discharge. She also was fined $4,000 and must forfeit future pay and 
allowances.

Scott had pleaded guilty to drug smuggling and conspiracy. A military jury 
also found her guilty of accessing Air Force records in order to sell the 
names and addresses of other Air Force personnel to someone she thought was 
a drug runner, but who actually was an undercover FBI agent. She had 
pleaded not guilty to a charge of information peddling.

Scott was involved in helping another defendant run 66 pounds of cocaine 
out of Tucson in a government vehicle in March 2004.

She is one of seven Davis-Monthan personnel, including three base police 
officers, accused of running cocaine for what they thought was a drug 
trafficking ring.

It actually was an FBI sting operation. The sting, dubbed "Operation Lively 
Green," has led to criminal charges against 40 people, including prison 
guards, police officers and members of the Arizona Army National Guard.

Two more D-M courts-martial are scheduled for October in connection with 
the sting.
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