Honduran Envoy, 26 Pounds of Cocaine Seized
A Honduran diplomat was ordered held without bond Monday after he allegedly arrived at Miami International Airport with almost 26 pounds of cocaine stuffed in his luggage, authorities said.
Rigoberto Regalado Lara, 49, Honduras’ ambassador to Panama, was ordered held on a charge of cocaine possession with intent to distribute.
Later Monday in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa, the Foreign Ministry announced it has suspended Regalado’s diplomatic immunity, leaving U.S. authorities free to prosecute. His appointment as ambassador was also suspended.
During examination of Regalado’s luggage, “U.S. Customs inspector Janet DeMatteis discovered a white powdery substance secreted inside 10 packages surrounded by coffee and wrapped in plastic, concealed inside pants legs and other clothing in his suitcase. A field test of the white powdery substance proved positive for the presence of cocaine,” an affidavit said.
Regalado, a retired army colonel, is a step-brother of Gen. Humberto Regalado Hernandez, the armed forces commander-in-chief of Honduras. He has been Honduran ambassador to Panama since 1986.
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