Pubdate: Wed, 27 Sep 2000
Source: San Diego Union Tribune (CA)
Copyright: 2000 Union-Tribune Publishing Co.
Contact:  PO Box 120191, San Diego, CA, 92112-0191
Fax: (619) 293-1440
Website: http://www.uniontrib.com/
Forum: http://www.uniontrib.com/cgi-bin/WebX
Author: Marisa Taylor, Staff Writer

FISHING BOAT SEIZURE IS LINKED TO TREND IN PACIFIC DRUG ROUTES

A rusty, 72-foot fishing boat suspected of supplying fuel to a band of 
smugglers was seized earlier this month by U.S. authorities off the coast 
of Panama along with 5,300 pounds of cocaine with a street value estimated 
at $530 million.

The fishing boat, the Gran Tauro, reveals a growing trend of smugglers 
using vessels to refuel in the Pacific, said Capt. Chip Sharpe, the chief 
of operational forces for the U.S. Coast Guard's Pacific area operations.

However, the seizure is the first case of its kind in which authorities 
have been able to gather enough evidence to prosecute, he said.

Authorities arrested 12 men who are accused of trying to smuggle the 
cocaine from Colombia. They are expected to be arraigned today in San Diego 
federal court on cocaine conspiracy charges. If convicted of the most 
serious charges, they could face life in prison.

A 15-year-old boy also is being held as a witness.

On Sept. 11, the crew of the Navy frigate De Wert, based in Florida, 
detected the fishing boat and a "go-fast" vessel 240 miles southwest of 
Panama. The crew of the go-fast, a small boat rigged to reach high speeds, 
began dumping the packages of cocaine into the ocean and a Virginia-based 
coastal patrol craft, the Firebolt, began retrieving about 90 packages of 
the drug.

According to U.S. officials' estimates, the cocaine would have a value of 
about $530 million if sold on the streets.

For some reason, the Gran Tauro and the go-fast collided during the attempt 
to evade authorities. The crew jumped into the ocean before the go-fast 
capsized and sank. They were rescued and brought to San Diego yesterday.

The Coast Guard has noticed a sharp increase in the amount of cocaine being 
smuggled through the Pacific, Sharpe said. Colombian drug smugglers began 
using Pacific routes more frequently after a U.S. law enforcement crackdown 
in the Caribbean.

But the go-fast vessels used by smugglers headed to Mexico often need to 
refuel. As a result, smugglers have been using fishing boats as ocean "gas 
stations," U.S. Attorney Gregory Vega said.

The Gran Tauro has about 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel on board, more than 
the vessel could use.

During the past several years, the Colombian government has been accepting 
vessels turned back by U.S. authorities who were suspicious of excess fuel 
on board.
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