A businessman based in Florida have been accused by a U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency informant of involvement in a major drug crime case in the area.
The man, 67, is a former professional race car driver who found substantial success in that field when he was younger. His brother is a champion driver as well. Together, they were arrested, tried, convicted and jailed for marijuana charges back in the 1980’s. In specific, they were found guilty of smuggling the popular drug.
Currently, the man owns a company called World Jet, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. According to an official with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, he is allegedly using the jets his company operates to transport drug shipments from South America.
South America is a major producer of the drugs that wind up being sold illegally in the U.S. One of the DEA’s chief objectives in recent years has been to stop the flow of drugs from South America, leading to their investigation of the Florida businessman.
He is accused by the DEA’s informant of laundering money from drug trafficking through a Pagosa Springs report. This accusation is detailed at length in a 35-page affidavit prepared by a DEA special agent. The affidavit was produced in support of a search warrant for the man’s emails.
The parent company of the resort shares a Florida business address with World Jet and is owned by the daughters of the man accused in this case.
Drug crime cases are on the rise in Florida. Local law enforcement officials work with the DEA and other agencies to bring the details of each one to light. Of course, those accused in drug crime cases have the legal right to be represented in a court of law. This helps ensure a defendant will receive a fair and impartial trial, as every person accused of a crime has a right to in the U.S.
Source: The Durango Herald, “Feds probe Pagosa resort” Joe Hanel, Nov. 18, 2013
