Source: New York Times (NY) Contact: http://www.nytimes.com/ Pubdate: Thur, 16 Jul 1998 Author: Marlise Simons 3 DUTCH MARINES ARRESTED AS DRUG SMUGGLERS THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- Three Dutch marines involved in drug-control efforts in the Caribbean have been arrested in connection with the smuggling of close to 700 pounds of cocaine to the Netherlands. The drugs were carried on a military plane that was normally used in the anti-drug campaign in the Dutch Antilles, the islands off the Venezuelan coast. Although the Dutch are known for their lenient policy toward soft drugs, the discovery of the smuggling, which involved hard drugs that are strictly outlawed, has infuriated the government. According to government investigators, the marines apparently were acting as couriers for civilian drug smugglers based in South America and the Netherlands. They could apparently carry their goods with ease, because there is little customs control over military forces on the Dutch island of Curacao, their point of departure, or on the military air base in the Netherlands that was their destination. The discovery of the smuggling route is an embarrassment for the Dutch government, which is expecting an official visit from Gen. Barry McCaffrey, the American drugs policy adviser, on Thursday. That visit has itself stirred anger in the government. Although the general is ostensibly coming here to observe how the Dutch and other European countries cope with drug use, before his arrival he condemned the Dutch drug policy in an interview as "an unmitigated disaster." So far, three marines and 11 civilians have been arrested in the last few days in connection with the smuggling. Government investigators apparently had been watching the network since March before they intercepted a load of cocaine as marines brought it off the plane in bags in the Netherlands. Another 100 pounds of cocaine were found in the home of a Dutch sergeant major living in Curacao. The minister of defense said the behavior of the marines was "scandalous." He said that "military who deal in drugs are fired." One of the arrested men served aboard the Dutch frigate, Pieter Florisz, a ship that patrols the Caribbean around the Antilles in order to intercept drug smuggling and coordinate with similar American efforts. Investigators said that they were struck by the casual and easy way the couriers could operate: They simply carried military canvas bags holding the drugs on to the plane they were taking from Curacao back to the Netherlands or asked colleagues to take an extra bag for them. At one point, one of the three men, the sergeant major, found that he had too large a load to send on the plane, so he casually took the remainder home, according to investigators who found about 100 pounds in the man's home in Curacao. Investigators said the military men had little idea where the drugs were bought or where they would end up because they carried the drugs for an organization of "big guys" based in Amsterdam. A spokesman for the Dutch navy said that he could not be certain that military aircraft or vessels had never been used before for drug smuggling and that professional drug syndicates that operate in the Caribbean "inevitably pose a risk." From now on, he said, all military luggage will be closely inspected. - --- Checked-by: Mike Gogulski