Pubdate: Sat, 10 May 2003
Source: Daily Camera (CO)
Copyright: 2003 The Daily Camera
Contact:  http://www.thedailycamera.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/103
Author: Associated Press

AUSTRALIAN POLICE INVESTIGATE WHAT ROLE PYONGYANG MAY HAVE PLAYED IN HEROIN 
SHIPMENT

MELBOURNE, Australia - Detectives are trying to establish whether North 
Korea's reclusive communist government played a role in a multimillion 
dollar heroin shipment intercepted in Australia.

Graham Ashton, the federal police officer leading the investigation, said 
Friday the entire crew of the North Korean-owned ship Pong Su sought 
consular assistance and refused to speak to police about the shipment of 
110 pounds of top-grade heroin, worth $50 million. Police holding the Pong 
Su's crew of 25 North Koreans and four other Asian nationals on drug 
smuggling charges have sent Pyongyang a list of questions they want 
answered about the shipment seized last month.

"They haven't been uncooperative," Ashton said. "We've had dialogue with 
them. There hasn't been a wall of silence."

North Korea has denied any government involvement.

"We have informed the Australian side that the ship Pong Su is a civilian 
trading ship and the ship owner's side has no idea of this at all," a North 
Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tuesday.

Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said last week that while 
there was no proof the North Korean government "made the decision to send 
this ship and sell drugs into Australia to make money, we are concerned 
that instrumentalities of the government may have been involved in this."

It is widely believed that Pyongyang exports illegal drugs to prop up its 
failing economy. Authorities in Tokyo have accused North Korea of selling 
amphetamines in Japan.

Ashton said prosecutors would claim in court that the shipment to Australia 
was meticulously planned and was aimed at avoiding the nation's tightly 
policed northern coastline by dropping the drugs on the southern coast.

The Pong Su had been specially modified to allow it to undertake long 
voyages without putting in at any port to refuel, he said.

It allegedly had no bookings in any ports in Australia, or any cargo to 
collect. There were secret storage cabinets and cupboards, Ashton added.

After allegedly making the heroin drop on a wind-swept beach, the boat was 
pursued by coast guard and navy vessels until special forces troops 
rappelled out of a helicopter to take control of it near Sydney.

The entire crew, which includes two Singaporeans, a Malaysian and a Chinese 
national, has been charged with aiding and abetting the import of an 
illegal substance, and they face maximum life sentences if convicted.
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MAP posted-by: Beth