Drug-Running Documentary on ’60 Minutes’ a Fake, Panel Says

A prize-winning documentary about Colombian drug-runners that was broadcast on the CBS program “60 Minutes” was a fake, a commission has concluded, with paid actors portrayed as drug dealers and the producer’s hotel room disguised as a drug kingpin’s jungle hide-out.

An independent panel of lawyers and veteran producers said the news program, “The Connection,” was essentially fiction. The film had dramatic footage of a drug “mule” reportedly carrying millions of dollars worth of heroin to London for Colombia’s Cali drug cartel. The panel concluded that there was no “mule” and no heroin, and that the “important new smuggling route” the program purported to expose does not exist.

The documentary was made by Carlton Communications, a prominent British television and film production company, and was sold to CBS in 1997. It features hidden cameras, disguised-voice interviews and secretive locations.

The flaws were first revealed in May by London’s Guardian newspaper. That report prompted Carlton to set up the panel, which issued its report Friday.

CBS said that the results of the British probe will be reported on “60 Minutes.”

“The Connection” has been broadcast around the world and has won eight journalism awards, including three in the United States. Carlton said it would return the awards and refund the fees it received from networks.