Military

DATE= 12/19/03

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE= PENTAGON/DRUGS (S ONLY)

NUMBER=2-311047

BYLINE= ALEX BELIDA

DATELINE= PENTAGON

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: U-S naval forces in the Arabian Gulf have seized nearly two metric tons of drugs on a dhow sailing what the military says is a known al-Qaida smuggling route. More from V-O-A Correspondent Alex Belida at the Pentagon.

TEXT: The military says a boarding team from a U-S guided-missile destroyer intercepted the small dhow near the Straits of Hormuz on Monday. In a search, the team found over 50 bags of hashish, weighing nearly two metric tons with a street value of eight to ten million U-S dollars.

A military statement says the dhow was operating on a smuggling route known to be used by the al-Qaida terrorist group. It says four of the dhow's 12 crewmembers are believed to have links to al-Qaida but there is no elaboration on what those links are.

A senior Navy commander says the capture of the vessel underscores the need for continuing maritime patrols of the Gulf to stop the movement of terrorists, drugs and weapons. (Signed)

NEB/BEL/MEM