JUSTICE DEPT.  FIRES HEAD OF NDIC

JOHNSTOWN, Pa.  - The head of the National Drug Intelligence Center has been fired because of low morale among the staff, the Justice Department said.

Michael Horn was fired Tuesday on the heels of an investigation into possible mismanagement.  The Johnstown-based center was established in 1993 to help the Justice Department coordinate intelligence among federal law enforcement agencies in fighting illegal drugs.

Federal investigators interviewed many of the 400 employees at the center and found half of them had lost confidence in senior management and nearly 70 percent reported low morale due to complaints of favoritism, gender bias, wasteful spending and extensive travel by top staff.

"We listened to what they said and we acted on it," Justice Department spokesman Mark Corallo said.

The Associated Press could not immediately locate a listed telephone number for Horn.

Horn will be replaced on an interim basis by Martin Pracht, now the Drug Enforcement Administration's international operations chief.

Johnstown is about 65 miles east of Pittsburgh.