Pubdate: Sat, 24 Jun 2000 Source: Chicago Tribune (IL) Copyright: 2000 Chicago Tribune Company Contact: 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611-4066 Website: http://www.chicagotribune.com/ Forum: http://www.chicagotribune.com/interact/boards/ Author: Mary Hafffenberg BridgeNews MERC REMOVES GROUP FROM FLOOR; DRUGS SUSPECTED The Chicago Mercantile Exchange on June 16 removed a group of people from the trading floor amid suspicions of buying and selling drugs, traders at the Merc said. No allegations have been filed with the Chicago Police Department or the state's attorney's office, but traders and others at the exchange said the alleged violations were caught on surveillance cameras. "We don't discuss ongoing investigations, even to confirm their existence," said Ellen Resnick, a spokeswoman for the Merc. She declined to comment further. According to floor sources, about a half dozen people were removed from the floor; at least two of them were said to be exchange members and the rest were clerks. "Everybody knew this was going on for a long time," said one trader, who credited Chairman Scott Gordon and President and Chief Executive James McNulty for cracking down on the group. Another source said the Merc may try to keep them off the exchange floor by filing disciplinary cases unrelated to the alleged drug trading. Pat Camden, a spokesman for the Chicago Police Department, said officers were unaware of the incident. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. attorney's office said they had no knowledge of the matter. Tribune staff contributed to this report. - --- MAP posted-by: Allan Wilkinson