FIGURES 16 and 17. Weapons left in "war wagon" and interior view of "wagon" with bulletproof vests used to provide additional protection for sliding rear door

Senator CHILES. Do you have any information as to the source of the firearms used by these narcotics traffickers?

Captain FRANK. We have some information, Senator. Some of the information is that the firearms are stolen during hijackings, somewhere else in the country, a large quantity of them are imported into the United States and a few of them are actually stolen in burglaries. We haven't found one yet that was legitimately registered and purchased.

Senator CHILES. Have you encountered any instances in which explosives have been used by individuals in narcotics trafficking?

Captain FRANK. Not in recent years. Explosives seem to be at this point on the downgrade in use in criminal activity, especially in regards to narcotics trafficking. We have not yet encountered a Colombian case in which explosives were used.

Senator CHILES. Have you identified particular individuals as functioning as hit men for the organization?

Captain FRANK. Not necessarily. We have learned that the Colombian illegals that are involved in the narcotics traffic are each as coefficient as each other and trained in the capabilities of handling these weapons.

Senator CHILES. So they don't necessarily have to have just one?

Captain FRANK. No, sir. Once in a while one or two or three names may surface more than others. We had a fellow that we arrested, as a matter of fact, in a Colombian shootout who is now charged with first-degree murder and 2 or 3 months prior his fingerprints were found on the inside of the war van that I described to you a little while ago.

Senator CHILES. Have you been able to identify the positions in the trafficking organizations that these murder victims hold?

[At this point, Senator Nunn withdrew from the hearing room.] Captain ENGLAND. Yes. Usually we find that there are more of the lower- and middle-level management as it were. The last hit of an absolute head of a narcotics organized crime group we had in the city of Miami was in 1976. We had an attempt last year on a head. It was unsuccessful, one of the rare attempts that has been unsuccessful.

Senator CHILES. How about the Dadeland shootout? What was the rank of the victim?

Captain FRANK. In that particular case which was unique, I think, it was a high-ranking member of the narcotics traffic organization, but that is the exception rather than the rule.

Senator CHILES. Based on all of this information, it appears that there is no effort whatsoever to conceal the murder? I mean, they don't operate secretly. That is a little different from contract killings that we are used to, even with the La Cosa Nostra, there is usually more effort to conceal.

[At this point, Senator Nunn entered the hearing room.] Senator CHILES. Why is that? They just don't care?

Captain ENGLAND. I have an opinion on that. First of all, their nature and the element that they come from is one consideration as to why they are as violent. They have very little or no respect for the laws. The opinion is that in the past, Cosa Nostra. Mafia, has had the

pressure, exerted pressure and the alarm of the community and the press and the Government and I think that is one reason these Senator CHILES. They don't care at all about public opinion? Captain ENGLAND. They have not experienced that. They have no ties here. So, consequently, they don't feel that pressure.

Captain FRANK. They certainly feel like if one is going to testify against them, that the fear has been bestowed in the witnesses. They have no fear of the law and, as a matter of fact, in many of these cases it appears as though there is nothing more than displaced Colombian homicides that just happen to occur on American soil.

Senator CHILES. So the way they do commit the crimes certainly handicaps your ability to cultivate informants?

Captain FRANK. Definitely.

Senator CHILES. Or witnesses?

Captain FRANK. Yes, sir; definitely.

Senator CHILES. Have you had any experiences in which individuals merely suspected of being informants are killed?

Captain FRANK. Yes, sir. We suspect that a number of witnesses that we had were killed because it was thought they were talking to somebody who they should not be talking to. We know of one particular case specifically in which we brought a fellow in for questioning shortly after a homicide in August and during the questioning he as much told us just because he is in the office with us talking to us that he was going to be marked as a dead man. I believe in early February of this year he was found killed in front of a small shopping center in south Dade.

Senator CHILES. That is a good reason for bringing quite a few in for questioning, is it not?

Captain FRANK. One might think so.

Senator CHILES. Do you have any examples in which narcotics groups have directed violence against police officers?

Captain FRANK. Yes, sir; we do. A shootout in which the body was found in the automobile is a good example of that in which they don't have any qualms whatsoever about shooting at police officers. I know for a fact that one of the detectives that works in my unit was supposedly marked for a hit and this information came from two independent sources and to our knowledge this has, the hit has not been lifted at this point in time.

Chairman NUNN. What do you do to protect an individual like that? I don't mean to go into great detail, but do you put extra people with him?

Captain FRANK. As a general rule, yes; especially if he is going to go into that particular area of the community.

Senator CHILES. Captain England?

Captain ENGLAND. Just one as far as detectives, we have such limited resources in so many areas, this is one area that affects us also. We had one officer that had an alleged contract out on him and in this instance you do furnish some protection in the first few days, but in his case, he had to sell his car at a loss, he moved twice at a loss in moving and reestablishing himself because of the fear, because of, frankly, our lack of ability to protect him. So the officers themselves, it does cost them money when these things happen.

Senator CHILES. So in addition to a shootout in which a police car might be involved, they will actually use the intimidation of marking somebody for a hit which is completely different than something the La Cosa Nostra did.

Captain FRANK. That is happening; yes, sir.

Senator CHILES. So again they have no fear of the old rule that you never shoot a policeman?

Captain FRANK. If they did have any kind of fear the war wagon is a good example of what lengths they will go to, to prepare themselves for a combat situation.

Captain ENGLAND. These people's profits are so huge that sophistication is lacking and they really have the instincts of a hyena. They have the means of a millionaire; sophistication is at the gutter level. The same thing as the pressures that ordinarily affect someone with ties to the country, it does not seem to have any effect on them at all. Senator CHILES. The Colombian organization is the most violent. Is there a difference between the other organizations that you have down there, the Dixie Mafia, the black organizations, the Cubans?

Captain ENGLAND. We have lots of violence in other Latin-organized crime, narcotic trafficking also, lots of violence.

Captain FRANK. I believe the Colombians are a little more distinct in that they have no qualms about making their violence public. Senator CHILES. How many local narcotics organizations have you all been able to identify?

Captain ENGLAND. In just our homicide investigations we have or are able to identify seven. I need to qualify this statement because I heard Mr. Clifford's testimony and I am aware of narcotics and intelligence information. It goes beyond this in number. So when I say that we have been able to identify seven, this is just in our homicide investigations that have led us to it, because we have somewhat tunnel vision to the extent that we are pursuing a case to arrest the murderer and we just don't have the time, resources, and manpower to go beyond that, identifying the intelligence information.

Senator CHILES. How many of those do you regard as Colombian organizations?

Captain FRANK. The last time that we explored that we knew there was a minimum of four. There could be many more. As Captain England said, we are pretty much confined to the investigation of homicides and do not have an intelligence-gathering unit. So I am sure our figures are not totally accurate.

Senator CHILES. Have you been able to identify any of the heads of the local Colombian organizations or of the seven organizations?

Captain FRANK. We have identified some heads at some particular time or another, but in most cases we are not comfortable that we do know who the ultimate heads are.

Senator CHILES. Tell me some of the legitimate businesses to which these organizations are linked.

Captain ENGLAND. The range is very wide. It goes all the way from a small coffee shop, supermarkets; a trade they are particularly fond of is the construction trades, like the little carpet and tile shops. They can wash money of a small nature, but in addition it gives them an opportunity when they are questioned to say they are employed by this place

or that place. But the range goes all the way up to and including probably banks. Captain Frank has had some experience particularly in that, I believe.

Captain FRANK. Yes. We have learned recently that they are also involved in auto dealerships and auto paint body shops which are used for conversion of stolen cars and new VIN numbers, new identification and titles, and as Mr. Clifford said earlier, being sent to South America or Colombia for various reasons.

Senator CHILES. Give me some idea of the financial resources that are available to these organizations.

Captain FRANK. Sir, it appears to us on the surface without being an intelligence unit that their financial resources are infinite. We had information at one point that one of these smaller Colombian organized crime groups was working with an extraneous budget of about $1 million, just for their day-to-day expenses, not to have anything to do with narcotics. We have had occasions to find people with large amounts of cash in their possession and discarded it and say the cash was not theirs. One classic example was a fellow who inadvertently got into an automobile accident and left the scene. He wasn't injured too badly and the vehicle was identified to him and we went to his house later and asked him if the $300,000 in cash in his trunk was his. He said he never saw it or heard of it. Didn't know anything about it. We have had other occasions where we would approach Colombian people and they just throw an envelope-brown envelope-under the car, in the trash and then we will retrieve it and it will contain $25.000 or $35.000 which they will not acknowledge possession of it or knowledge of. They move when I referred to them as nomadic in naturethey move from house to house at times on a moment's notice, they will rent houses in the most exclusive neighborhoods for $2.000 a month or more, putting up 6 months in advance and they will buy the most expensive equipment, Betamaxes, various furniture that goes into the house. When things get a little hot they will disappear overnight and leave everything behind.

So money doesn't seem to be a problem to them.

Senator CHILES. Do you have any insight as to how they acquire false documents?

Captain FRANK. Based on the information that we have received, some of the people in the organizations are hired and exclusively work in obtaining these false documents. For instance, a passport. I understand, can be sold in Colombia for $200 apiece. There is one particular station in Dade County which most driver's licenses the Colombians have seem to be emanating from. Car titles, as I said, are no problem because they have people who specifically do that for them. Senator CHILES. Do those documents look authentic?

Captain FRANK. Yes. They look authentic.

Senator CHILES. What has been your problems with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service in handling and processing of illegal aliens when you locate them?

Captain FRANK. First, I would like to qualify and say that I am not an expert on the immigration laws and I don't know all that much about them. All I can say is I feel for the immigration people who are sworn to uphold and enforce the laws that are brought to their atten