Pubdate: 3 Mar 1999
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Copyright: 1999 San Francisco Chronicle
Contact:  http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Forum: http://www.sfgate.com/conferences/
Author: Bill Wallace, Chronicle Staff Writer
Page: A16

EX-AGENT IN HASHISH PROBE GETS PROBATION

Kickback taken from informer in Thai smuggling investigation

A former U.S. Customs agent who played a pivotal role in a politically
sensitive international hashish investigation has been sentenced to
probation and community service for accepting a kickback from an informant
in the case.

Under a sentence handed down in U.S. District Court in San Francisco
Monday, Frank Gervacio, a 43-year-old former investigator for the Customs
Service, will have to serve 100 hours of community service for taking a
$4,000 gratuity from informant Michael Woods.

Gervacio left the Customs Service on a disability retirement last year
after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice resulted in the
kickback charge.

He had been the senior investigator in a federal drug probe of Thanong
Siriprechapong, a former member of the Thai Parliament who is accused of
smuggling nearly 50 tons of hashish into the United States during a 14-year
period.

Gervacio was the control agent for Woods, who was a key informant in the
smuggling case. Gervacio developed a close relationship with the informant
and recommended him for more than $110,000 worth of rewards and bonuses for
his work on the hashish investigation. Later, Gervacio asked the informant
to give him a $5,000 kickback, and Woods dropped $4,000 in the back seat of
the agent's car during a meeting.

Gervacio's actions have placed the government's case against Siriprechapong
in jeopardy.

Siriprechapong, the first Thai citizen ever extradited to the United States
for trial, has moved that the charges against him be dismissed. If the
charges are dropped, the action will probably have strong diplomatic
repercussions, because Siriprechapong's extradition required highly
sensitive negotiations between the U.S. and Thai governments. 
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