Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Miami Herald - September 7, 2007
Erika Beras, eberas@MiamiHerald.com
But the trooper stumbled upon a more serious potential crime.
Found: $1 million worth of HIV-fighting medications stowed in suitcases and a stash of $126,000 neatly stacked and secured with rubber bands.
Investigators learned the suitcases belonged to two passengers: Juan Vasquez, 60, of Elizabeth, N.J., and Oscar Zabala, 53, of Southwest Miami-Dade.
The two were arrested and charged with 14 counts in trafficking contraband drugs, said Kristin Adams, a spokesperson for Collier County Sheriff's Office.
JAILED
Both are being held in a Collier County jail. Bail for Vasquez was set at $1 million; Zabala, $750,000. The men told authorities they did not know each other and knew nothing about the cash.
Police said the two men had each paid the $139 fare and, along with eight other passengers, boarded the bus in New Jersey. The bus is operated by La Cubana, a Miami-based bus service, which regularly runs buses from New York to Miami.
When it neared mile marker 82 on Alligator Alley, FHP Trooper Mike Gideons tracked the bus traveling about 10 miles above the speed limit.
While talking to the driver, Gideons noticed he was nervous and called for canine units to help search the large bus.
Police, who checked baggage tags, learned the two suspects owned six large, unlocked suitcases that contained 1,321 bottles of drugs including Viramune, Zerit, Combivir, Epivir, Lexiva, Kaletra and Reyataz -- all used to treat HIV. They also found 32 bottles of Zyprexam, a medication used to treat bipolar disease and schizophrenia.
The men told authorities they planned to deliver the drugs to HIV-afflicted family and friends in their homelands. Authorities believe they planned to sell the drugs on the black market in South Florida.
NO PRESCRIPTIONS
Vasquez is from Argentina; Zabala is from Cuba. Neither man had a prescription for the drugs and none of the bottles had prescription labels. Zabala told authorities that other people gave him money to pay for the drugs.
"We've made large busts before, but with Oxycontin" said FHP Trooper Lt. Doug Dodson, speaking of the highly addictive painkiller that provides an effect similar to heroin. "Never anything like this. Some of those drugs, they would be $2,400 for a prescription."
No federal drug charges were filed against the men because the pills found are not illegal, said a Drug Enforcement Agency spokesman. DEA officials did, however, confiscate the cash.
070907
MH070902
Copyright © 2007 - Miami Herald. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Miami Herald, Permissions, One Herald Plaza, Miami, FL 33132-1693 TEL: (305) 376-3719. http://www.herald.com.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2007. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2007. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .