Does Mitt Romney vet his campaign stops? Apparently not, as it was revealed that Romney held a campaign event at a juice shop owned by a convicted cocaine trafficker!
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Romney appeared at El Palacio de los Jugos, which is owned by Reinaldo Bermudez, a convicted drug smuggler.
According to the Associated Press:
In November 1997, Bermudez was identified as one of 12 people accused in a Colombian drug smuggling operation. The arrests followed a seven-month investigation led by the FBI and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Agents seized about 2,850 pounds of cocaine at three South Florida ports over several months.
Agents first seized 430 pounds of cocaine at the Port of Palm Beach in July 1997 and then 117 pounds in late September at the Port of Miami. Those shipments were concealed in containers filled with fish imported from Trinidad, an island in the south Caribbean. The largest and final seizure came in late October at Port Everglades, where officials found 2,304 pounds of cocaine in a container of soap imported from Venezuela.
According to Bermudez, the Secret Service performed a background check on him and knew everything about his past when the Romney campaign asked to use his fresh fruit and vegetable stand. He claims they knew about his criminal record.
Bermudez told the Miami New Times:
“Here in Miami there are a lot people with money who have had problems with the law…Thankfully, we all have the opportunity in this country to re-enter society when we’ve done something wrong.”
As a convicted felon, Bermudez isn’t able to vote in Florida unless the Governor and the Cabinet restore his rights.
SOURCE: AP
