MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falkland Islands: Weekly Penguin News update

Photo reconstruction: Stanley Police station with mock up of the appearance and quantity of drugs involved.

Headlines: One million pounds down the drain? Falklands minefield clearance to begin immediately; This week's cruise ships.

One million pounds down the drain?JUST two years after the dust settled in the Police department and confidence in the force was being restored, the populations have been rocked by the revelation that approximately 23 kilos of cocaine had been mislaid in the Police Station. The 29 packets of cocaine, totalling more than 30 kilos and estimated to have a street value of more than a million pounds, were seized by authorities in the Falkland Islands, from the fishing vessel Venturaon October 30 and were secured as evidence in a double locked cell at the Stanley Police Station pending a court hearing. Two Spanish citizens were arrested and charged with importing the drugs. Both are being held in custody at the jail within the Police Station. A Government House spokesperson said that a check of the cell on Tuesday had revealed that 23 of the packets were missing and a search of the premises found evidence of one discarded bag and packaging from some of the missing packets. His Excellency the Governor has asked Provost Marshall of the Joint Service Police and Security Unit (JSPSU) at Mount Pleasant Complex to carry out an investigation into the loss. A full enquiry into the circumstances surrounding the incident will be convened soon. Two years ago two police officers were found guilty of criminal offences; morale within the force was at an all time low, while public confidence in the service was severely shaken. Former Detective Sergeant Jonathon Butler, one of the two officers involved, commented on Thursday that he found it "quite incredible" that no Police Officers had been suspended, given that more than £800,000 of property had been lost while in their care. It displayed double standards, he said. A Government House spokesperson confirmed that there had not been any suspensions within the police force. As part of the investigation into the loss of the drugs, with which the Royal Falkland Islands Police are cooperating fully, said the spokesperson, the homes of some police officers have been searched using the RAF police dog. On Wednesday afternoon Public Works Department employees were tasked to check the drains leading from the Police Station and take samples, indicating that there was a possibility that the drugs had been disposed of from within the Police Station. That the drugs could have been taken from the Falklands is also a prospect and passengers on the North bound airbridge confirmed that they were subjected to a thorough search at Brize Norton, where sniffer dogs were at work checking baggage and travellers. Meanwhile, reliable sources have revealed that all the cells have an approximate three inch gap under the door and more concerning, that the extensive armoury held by the Royal Falkland Islands Police was contained within the same cell from which the drugs were removed. While the matter is under investigation, Superintendent Paul Elliott is unable to comment and Government House First Secretary Paul Martinez said there would be, "no further comment, pending the outcome of the investigation." Falklands minefield clearance to begin immediatelyJOHN Duncan, British Ambassador for Multilateral Arms Control and Disarmament, announced in the Ottawa Convention meetings in Geneva on Wednesday that the UK had decided to begin the clearing of three minefields in the Falklands "immediately." This announcement appeared to be in contrast to expectations previously reported in the British media, that the British Government would be seeking a ten year extension on the fulfilment of their obligation in the Falklands, under the terms of the Ottawa Convention on land mines, of which it is a signatory. The Ambassador told the Convention that an independent feasibility study completed last year, had suggested a trial period to discover whether it was in fact possible to clear all the mines within ten years. Commenting that nobody really knew the answer - though the feasibility study indicated that the nature of the terrain and the isolation of the Falklands, was always going to make mine clearance both difficult and expensive - the Ambassador said that the British Government had decided that work should start immediately. In a BBC interview earlier in the week, Councillor Mike Summers had expressed the previously stated view of the Falkland Islands Government (FIG), which is thought to be supported by an overwhelming majority of the Islands' inhabitants. "If the money they were thinking of spending here could be better spent in one of those areas where children are still getting their legs blown off, we would be more than happy with that," he said. The British Government came under fire from anti-mine campaigners last week, over what is perceived as their lack of action to clear from the Falkland Islands the estimated 20,000 landmines laid there by Argentine forces in 1982. This should have been accomplished by March of next year. Campaigners are reported as having argued that the failure of Britain to meet its obligations would damage its international reputation and could encourage other countries also to default. Continued on page 3. This week's cuise shipsSTANLEY will see its first large cruise ship of the season on Tuesday, when Norwegian Sun(2,359) anchors in Port William. Visits to Carcass Island and Saunders Island are planned for Aleksey Maryshev (48) on Wednesday. The vessel will be in Stanley on Thursday. Passenger numbers in brackets