Agents sent home as Obama arrives for summit

Barack Obama's visit to Colombia suffered an embarrassing hiccup after the Secret Service acknowledged it had sent some agents home facing allegations of misconduct before the leader's arrival.

The President was this weekend attending the sixth Summit of the Americas for political leaders but the alleged misconduct by a dozen agents threatened to overshadow his diplomatic mission. The Associated Press reported that a caller, who said he had knowledge of the situation, told the newswire on Friday that the misconduct involved prostitutes in Cartagena, site of the summit. A Secret Service spokesman did not dispute the claim.

Mr Obama told the summit yesterday that legalising drugs was not the answer to trafficking in illegal narcotics in the Americas.