SUSPECTS IN COCAINE SMUGGLING CASE CHARGED

RIJEKA, Dec 4 (Hina) - The Rijeka County State Attorney's Office on Friday charged three suspects for smuggling more than half a tonne of cocaine. Slobodan Kasic and Mladen Pervan have been charged with the abuse of narcotics, for which the sentence of three to five years in prison is envisaged. They are currently in flight and will be tried in absentia. The third suspect, Tomislav Banovic, has been charged with failure to report a crime and aiding and abetting. If found guilty, he could be fined or sentenced to one to three years in prison. The County State Attorney's Office has decided not to file charges against other four suspects, Lovro Pervan, Robert Glasnovic and Ljubo Perisaj, as no credible evidence has been found to substantiate accusations that they had participated in the smuggling. The case, known as the "Rijeka cocaine affair" took place in the spring of 1997 when a total of 557kg of cocaine were discovered in the Rijeka harbour on two occasions, the first time in April and then in May. The drug had been transported from Ecuador's port of Guayagil by a "Croatian Line" ship. The 98 per cent pure cocaine was burnt after being confiscated. The drug would have reached the price of DM82 million on the streets. (hina) lml jn/sp