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SEVEN Paras were under arrest last night after testing positive for hard drugs. They now face almost certain dismissal for bringing disgrace on one of Britain's proudest fighting units.

The men - six privates and a lance corporal from the regiment's 1st Battalion - were held last Friday after failing tests for Class A drugs. These include heroin, cocaine, LSD and ecstasy.

A senior NCO at the Paras' Aldershot barracks said last night: "Drugging and airborne soldiering do not mix. It has always been one of our proudest boasts that we are clean of drugs."

One of the soldiers has since been ambushed and beaten up by furious comrades. All seven are
veterans of the Kosovo war. Last night, the Defence Ministry confirmed the arrests.

Seven Paras who tested positive for hard drugs were condemned by angry comrades last night. One senior NOC said: "These men have tarnished our regiment They should be stood against a wall and shot. There is a policy of zero tolerance towards drug-taking If you are caught drugging you should be out, and that should be that."

One of the men has already been beaten up by enraged colleagues. The NCO added: "No one is looking too hard for the lads who carried out the attack. The feeling is that it is the least this man deserved."

The seven men- all members of the same platoon in the 1st Battalion's B Company - were arrested
after failing tests for Class A drugs in a random check carried out two weeks ago. It is believed that
no Para has ever previously tested positive for such drugs. They Include heroin, cocaine and amphetamine sulphates such as speed, LSD and ecstasy.

As soon as he learned of the test results, commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Paul Gibson called
In senior officers and ordered a Scale A parade for yesterday morning. It was to be attended by every
member of the battalion.

As the soldiers turned out, drugs testers swooped again and re-tested every single man. A Para source said: "A Scale A parade is only called for something very important. The only excuse for not turning up was death. "Everyone was there - even the sick and the lame. There were absolutely no exceptions. The CO ripped into everyone saying the regiment had been shamed and he was totally disgusted. Then he took all the senior NCOs aside and tore Into them. He tried to lay the responsibility for it all on them, saying they should have had their fingers on the pulse. He said they should have recognised the symptoms.

"He was furious. This has not been a happy battalion since he arrived two years ago. What with this drug taking and the boss looking for someone to carry the can, morale Is rock-bottom."

The seven men cannot be held in Army cells In the Aldershot area because they do not come up to
required standards. Instead, they are under open arrest at the battalion's showpiece New Normandy Barracks.They are confined to their accommodation block and reporting every two hours to the guardroom until Army chiefs officially receive Colonel Gibson's report. The colonel is already believed to
have briefed the Paras' Colonel Commandant, Lieutenant General Sir Michael Jackson, who is soon to
become the Commander-in-Chief of UK Land Forces.

Defence sources said it was unlikely the arrested Paras would be court martialled on the basis of a drugs test. But they will almost certainly be booted out In disgrace. A defence source said: "If they had
been caught in possession of Class A drugs, or using them, then it would be a court martial. As it is, they will be kicked out - or administratively discharged, which is the polite way of putting it."

In the civil courts, the maximum sentence for possessing Class A drugs is seven years. Possession with intent to supply can mean a life sentence. The men - six private soldiers and a lance corporal - are all veterans of last year's peace-keeping operation in Kosovo. Colonel Gibson, who was decorated with the DSO for the battalion's Kosovo operations, said last night: "I have no comment."

The 42-year-old colonel took over 1 Para as commanding officer in May, 1998.  In Kosovo, the Paras and Gurkhas spearheaded Operation Joint Guardian, the biggest military mission in Europe since the Second World War.  Under Colonel Gibson's leadership, the Paras entered Pristina with the aim of disarming both Serbs and Kosovo Liberation Army soldiers.  Colonel Gibson declared on arrival:
"I am determined to disarm this city and keep it that way."  His men went on to become involved
in several explosive incidents. On their first day, a Para patrol shot dead a drunken Serb reservist who opened fire on them.  Later, they shot dead two KLA members as they went on patrol amid wild street celebrations to protect a group of about 50 Serbs.  They also held four KLA members suspected of killing an elderly Serb.

On the squad's return Colonel Gibson briefed Prince Charles, the regiment's Colonel-in-Chief, on the
operation. Later, he was co-author of a damning report which revealed that British troops In Kosovo were issued with sub-standard weapons and faulty radios which could be tapped into by the Serbs. He is soon to give up control of the 1st Battalion when he is promoted to full colonel.

Last night, the Defence Ministry said: "We can confirm that seven members of the Parachute Regiment
were found to have provided positive samples following the unit's testing."  A spokesman added: "Drug abuse is not a problem in the Regiment. As far as drugs are concerned it has one of the best records in the Army.  The second drug test which was ordered shows they are tackling the situation vigorously.
They are sending out the message that drug abuse will not be tolerated and seeking to eradicate the problem as soon as it begins. We are simply talking about a few bad apples."

The spokesman pointed out that of all soldiers tested for drugs, only 0.7 per cent proved positive. He  said: "Compared to the civilian population for the same age group, our figures are very low."