Colombian Police Catch US Resident
.c The Associated Press
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) - Colombian police said they caught a U.S. resident trying to smuggle 2 pounds of heroin out of Colombia by swallowing the drugs.
Police on Wednesday identified the suspect, arrested Sunday at the international airport in Cali as he tried to board a Miami-bound flight, as 20-year-old Christian Gonzalez. They said he is a Colombian national with permanent residency in the United States.
Gonzalez was carrying U.S. military identification and told police he worked for the U.S. Navy, Cali police spokesman Col. Javier Pareja said.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in the capital, Bogota, had no immediate information on Gonzalez.
In a common practice here, couriers known as ``drug mules'' swallow capsules of cocaine and heroin, and then expel them from their bodies after reaching final destinations, usually in the United States or Europe.
AP-NY-06-27-01 2211EDT
