News In Brief

Rebels, concaine traffickers in Peru may be colluding

Peruvian Interior Minister Luis Percovich has asked parliament for more funds to crush what he says is a growing alliance between Maoist guerrillas and cocaine traffickers.

He said traffickers pay Maoist guerrillas to act as bodyguards, giving the rebels badly needed money. and are timing their attacks to draw attention away from simultaneous shipments of cocaine to Colombia.