Source: Chicago Tribune (IL)
Contact:  http://www.chicago.tribune.com/
Pubdate:  Sun, 06 Sep 1998
Author: New York Times News Service
Section: Sec. 1

U.S. SAYS CRUISE SHIP USED BY DRUG RING

NEW YORK -- With the arrests Saturday of two cruise ship employees as their
vessel docked in Manhattan, federal law enforcement officials revealed the
existence of an unusual drug ring they said used luxury ocean liners to
funnel cocaine, hashish and marijuana from New York City to Bermuda.

These officials estimated that the operation, which involved slightly more
than a dozen people with code names like "Fidel," "007," "Ratty" and
"Puny," accounted for 25 percent to 50 percent of the illegal drugs flowing
into Bermuda in recent years.

They said the method of smuggling was strikingly atypical, thrusting a
high-stakes, illegal activity into an atmosphere associated with pleasure
and escape from the grittier side of life.

"You never think that while you're on vacation, you're in the midst of
serious drug smuggling," said Jodi Avergun, an assistant U.S. attorney
prosecuting seven of the defendants in the case. "You think you're safe and
secure on a cruise to Bermuda but, in fact, there are drug smugglers
serving you lunch or making your meal."

Diane Ingalls, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration,
which was involved in the investigation, said eight of the 13 people
arrested since March in connection with the operation held jobs with
Celebrity or Norwegian cruise lines, most of them in low-paying kitchen
positions. Ingalls stressed that the cruise lines had cooperated fully in
the investigation.

The remaining five defendants coordinated dropoffs and money transfers in
either New York or Jamaica, law enforcement officials said. All have been
charged with conspiracy to distribute narcotics. An additional three people
are still being sought, Ingalls said.

Officials identified the mastermind of the operation as Delroy Andrews, 43,
of Brooklyn. Andrews, they said, orchestrated the transport of drugs from
Jamaica to New York City and then to Bermuda.

Avergun said it was unclear whether the cruise line workers carrying drugs
from New York to Bermuda and money from Bermuda back to New York had been
recruited before or after they took jobs aboard the ships. But she said
ship workers in general attract less scrutiny, and go through less rigorous
inspections, than tourists traveling the same route do.

Ingalls noted a second clever rationale behind the smuggling scheme.
"You're losing a certain amount of overhead by using someone who has a
legitimate means to be on the boat," she said.

The operation came to light two years ago, when one of those involved in it
was spotted with drugs by Bermudian authorities and arrested. Using
information he provided, Bermuda and U.S. authorities conducted
surveillances, wiretaps and posed undercover as drug customers in Bermuda
to catch others.

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Checked-by: Joel W. Johnson