Nation IN BRIEF : FLORIDA : Dealers Mix Cocaine, Plastic, Officials Say

Colombian drug dealers are using a mixture of cocaine and polystyrene plastic in products that can be shipped into this country undetected, federal officials and Florida authorities said. The technology makes it possible to transform the cocaine into many products and in a form undetectable by drug-sniffing dogs or routine visual or chemical tests, the law enforcement officials said in Miami. Last month, Florida and FBI investigators discovered 355 pounds of cocaine made into black electrical bushings, said FBI spokesman Paul Miller. The bushings, which are fittings used to reduce friction between parts, were stored in West Palm Beach, Fla., and Miami.