European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 23, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Trans Atlantic drug ring smashed by Dea agents monday. December 23. 1985 the stars and stripes Page 5. Newark. . A a trans Atlan tic undercover operation has smashed a multimillion Dollar drug ring with the arrests of four men including one who claims to be the world s top hashish dealer authorities said saturday. The  investigation included a . Agent who went to the Netherlands posing As a buyer interested in ship Ping record amounts of heroin and hashish to the United slates in Exchange for Cash and cocaine authorities said. Arrested Friday in the Netherlands were a scheme to ship 1,100 pounds of heroin with an estimated Street value of $30 Mil lion from Southwest Asia through the Netherlands 10 the United states authorities said. Al Ahmar also volunteered that he could Send a Young Arab hit squad to the . To help he agents with any trouble with distributors said assistant . Attorney Judy Russell. The investigation began 14 months ago when Netherlands police Learned Esser was the ring s alleged Leader Stanley Esser 42 Lookin for an american hashish and heroin of the Netherlands and Abdul Wall 48 a buyer we 1 could also Sun " St Len pakistani associate said Glinnon Cooper co Cali " distributed in Europe the Federal drug enforcement administration s special agent for new Jersey. Or. Esser made the statement to under cover agents that he was the world s largest supplier of  Cooper said. He had a tremendous amount of  arrested in Newark were Esser s attorney Martien Rock fun 48. And a lebanese born physician or. Ahmad Soleh Al Ahmar 38, Cooper said. Al Ahmar and Rock fun had met with agonis in Secaucus the Day before to discuss Cooper said. An agent from the Newark Dea office posed As a businessman and began negotiations with Esser in Europe initially for de livery of hashish through port Newark. European police agencies have seized several thousand pounds of hashish from Esser s network in the past 18 months. Cooper said. On feb. 15, a shipment of 2.244 pounds of afghan hashish was delivered to Newark where it was seized but no arrests were made authorities said. Down on the farm sen. Edward m. Kennedy d-muss., adds Cream to Bis Cote along with Memphis mo., former Tom fender on saturday. Kennedy spent the Day on the farm to try to gel a handle on the problems of Ameri can Farmer. Kennedy said be Hopes the government can fashion a farm policy so it gels to you  Bradley flunked live fire test report says Washington up1 classified Pentagon reports show that the Bradley fighting vehicle whose is 1.3 billion in funding is being questioned by Congress was severely damaged by anti tank weapons during testing. Information about the si.6 million Spe Cial armoured troop Carrier 6,332 of which the military plans to deploy was obtained last week by United press International through interviews and report summaries. The 19h4 and 1985 tests showed anti Lank weapons could penetrate the Carrier Armor and hit ammunition caches trigger ing explosions fatal to soldiers inside. The classified report on the first of three scheduled phases of live fire tests was Given to the House armed services committee in closed session dec. 17. Committee hearings on the Bradley Are expected in february. The Bradley which can carry up to nine soldiers is designed to counter gum and artillery with aluminium Armor and a can non machine gun and missile launcher. It is the successor to the m113 troop Carrier which had less Armor and firepower. The healed conflict in Congress Over whether to continue funding the Bradley program hinges on results of live fire tests thai Congress asked the army to conduct Al Aberdeen proving ground my. The army said it expected the Bradley to be destroyed by anti Lank weapons but deliberately Overman Chad in in a worst Case  the army and several House committee source discounted the significance of the findings in the pc Lugon report saying thai soviet anti tank weapons Are extremely unlikely to hit the vehicle in combat. Anti tank weapons include different types of missiles that can be fired by tanks infantry or air planes. A comparison of the 1984 and 1985 re Sulls suggest that the Bradley s ability to withstand damage from anti Lank weapons has sharply improved. The vehicle appeared to suffer fewer explosions and troop casual lies in the latter tests. But conflicting interpretations of the re sults persist among congressional staffers stemming from differing perceptions of the likelihood thai soviet anti tank weapons would hit the Bradley in actual combat. Some say that intelligent tactical use of the vehicle in combat would minimize the chances in would be Hii by such weapons. Some anti tank weapons will be fired at the Bradley in combat army spokesman maj. Phil Soucy said. But very few will hit it because of its Maneule ability the Protection afforded by tanks and proper strategic use of the  the three House armed services com Mittee sources agreed saying there was an extremely Low probability the vehicle would be hit by anti tank weapons. However Bill Andersen an aide to rep Mel Mcvine d-calif., co chairman of the 133-Membcr congressional military re form caucus disagreed arguing that the soviets would find some Way to hit the Bradley with anti tank weapons. Common sense tells you Andersen said the soviets will find a Way to hit the Bradley with anti Lank weapons. If i were in combat against the Bradley 1 would t shoo at in with a  unclassified portions of the dec. 17 re port show that the vehicle demonstrated a sturdy resistance to the guns and Artillur most Likely i nil the Bradley army spokesman it. Col. Craig Macnab said. As a result of the first testing phase the army intends to spend $500 million on changes aimed at increasing the Protection of the vehicle. It will try to strengthen the aluminium Armor add Protection to the electrical system and rearrange the fuel system and ammunition. These changes will be evaluated in the second lest phase on which a report is due to Congress in june. One classified 1984 Pentagon report entitled aluminium Armor test phase 2," shows that anti tank weapons repeatedly penetrated the Bradley s Armor and hit am munition inside triggering explosions. The resulting damage often meant total elimination of the vehicle and squad As a fighting  a report summary obtained by up1 said. The 1985 tests again yielded major but reduced damage by anti Lank weapons. Ten live fire tests produced one incense que Colial fire that could have been extinguished quickly Macnab said. Also most anti tank weapons  two of the five Dummy soldiers inside. Some congressional staffers voiced con Cern thai the views of the defense depart ment official overseeing the army s tests which they expected to be critical were not incorporated into the report Given Congress. However a House armed services com Mittee source said he was personally assured by this official col. James Burton that his views had been represented in the Pentagon report. Burton declined comment. I Alt � Snoeys cruelly s very furry Christmas i be Sot a so Wishful a of furs but what happen up to the tots aha sch i know thanks Well i be got a Christmas Surpri Sefik All three of you 3 cities picked for aids study  Angeles a people in three cities who carry Anliot Ulics to the aids virus will be studied for five years to help doctors understand Why sonic carriers become ill and others Don to researchers said. The study will seek about 100 health volunteers in  Angeles Boston and Syracuse  who Nave tested positive for aids antibodies after donating blood at red Cross facilities said red Cross spokeswoman Gerry Sohlor. As a precaution blood Banks discard blood donated by people found to carry the antibodies. A positive lest for aids antibodies Means the person has been exposed to the virus thai causes aids but does Nul mean the person has aids.  to percent of those with a positive antibody test will develop aids or acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Sands of time in the stars and stripes 40 years ago today. Dec. 23. 1945 the framework of the new Japan has been completed by Gen. Douglas Macarthur and there will be no More Allied directives in was announced b Allied Headquarters in Tokyo. 30 years ago today dec. 23, 1955 Canadian maj. Gen. . Burns the iop . Truce observer in Palestine said Israel risks provoking a War with real Malory attacks on Arab coun tries. 20 years ago today dec. 23, 1%5 . Marines and South vietnamese troops abandoned a strategic stronghold 33 Miles from Danang air base. In Vientiane Premier Souvanna Puma denied that . Bombers were Given permission to raid enemy positions inlays. 10 years ago today dec. 23, 1975 time Maga inc said two women who worked on the White House staff of president Kennedy knew him intimately. The report followed a news con Ference last week by Judith Exner who said she and Kennedy had had a close relation ship