A FORMER porn star is among five arrested after being suspected of “smuggling 14lbs of cocaine on a flight to Spain” and now faces 18 years in jail.
Mia Etcheverria, two other women, and two men were seized at Carrasco International Airport, Uruguay, as they attempted to board a flight to Madrid.
The five were stopped by the Uruguayan cops during a routine check on one of the men, aged 29, on June 24.
Officers found that his two suitcases had hidden compartments containing six slabs of a white, powdery substance with a total weight of 14lbs.
The police then pulled aside the rest of his group – three women, aged 26, 27, and 36, and a 35-year-old man.
One of the women has been identified as former porn actress and model Mia Etcheverria, 27, who was once in a relationship with retired footballer Richard Morales.
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Morales, 48, made 27 appearances for Uruguay between 2001 and 2005 and played for Osasuna and Malaga during his senior club career.
The five suspects have been hit with charges related to “attempted drug exportation”.
Four, including Mia, are currently in custody as the police search for a sixth person in relation to the case.
Mia’s lawyer, Pablo Casas, is claiming that his client “was unaware of the contents of the suitcases”.
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He told local media: “The conclusions that she collaborated, that she was aware of the contents, and that she simply passed those suitcases are incorrect.”
Mia – real name Camila Navarro – from Las Piedras, was one of the main stars on Uruguayan adult channel Divas TV.
She has two daughters with Morales, who, following her arrest, has said he will pay her legal fees.
He said in a statement: “Nowadays, more than ever, my only priority is my daughters and their well-being, and I will protect them from any media exposure related to this issue.”
The Ministry of the Interior of Uruguay said in a statement: “In the morning hours of Saturday, 24th June, personnel from the Carrasco International Airport Delegation, belonging to the General Directorate for the Repression of Illicit Drug Trafficking (DGRTID), were conducting checks in the check-in area of a flight bound for Madrid when they detected a passenger with a possible risk profile.
“After verifying his itinerary, a routine inspection of his luggage was requested, which the passenger authorised. He was escorted to the inspection room while the three women travelling with him remained in the check-in area”.
They revealed that the passenger was identified as a 29-year-old Uruguayan citizen whose luggage contained the six slabs of cocaine.
“Furthermore, two vehicles used for the transportation of all these individuals were identified, and £770 and four mobile phones were seized from them”.
The individual who officials believed was the organiser of the illegal activity was identified and an arrest warrant was requested.
“The Justice system initiated a formal investigation regarding the passenger who had the slabs in his suitcase “for his alleged involvement in an offence stipulated in Article 31 of Decree Law 14, 294, in the form of attempted drug exportation”, the statement read.
Two of the women and the second man identified at the airport were charged “for their alleged involvement in an offence stipulated in Article 31 of Decree Law 14, 294, in the form of attempted drug exportation as co-perpetrators”.
And the third woman was reportedly charged “for her alleged involvement in an offence stipulated in Article 31 of Decree Law 14,294, in the form of attempted drug exportation as an accomplice”.
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For the first four individuals, pretrial detention was ordered, while the last woman was placed under total house arrest with an electronic monitoring device, all for a period of 90 days.
The investigation is ongoing.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
