The State - News from Dec. 14, 1988

A paper work mix-up led to the accidental release from Riverside County Jail of a Colombian who was one of the key figures in the largest cocaine seizure in Oregon history. Luis Ernesto Kurmen, 35, was arrested at his Moreno Valley home Nov. 22 after delivering 46.2 pounds of cocaine to a farm near Cornelius, Ore. Riverside Police Detective Jay Theuer said Kurmen had been arrested for leaving California in violation of his parole conditions for earlier drug and money-laundering convictions. California prison authorities found they had no paper work on Kurmen when they arrived at the Riverside County Jail to take the suspect to the state prison in Chino for violating parole, the detective said. He added that Kurmen was released and told to report to his parole officer after Thanksgiving.