Colombian Man Charged With Importation Of Heroin Through The Orlando International Airport

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, announces that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging William Paez Rubiano (40) with importing approximately 3.3 kilograms of heroin into the United States from Colombia.  If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

According to court records, on May 8, 2014, Paez arrived in Orlando from Bogota, Colombia, aboard JetBlue Airways Flight 1784.  Paez was traveling with his wife and their seven-year-old daughter.  Upon arrival at the Orlando International Airport, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) K-9 Officer conducted a canine sweep of Paez and his family, including their carry-on luggage.  The canine positively alerted to the odor of narcotics emanating from the carry-on luggage.  Paez’s carry-on luggage was examined and the officers discovered, concealed inside the linings of the luggage, a brown powder substance which yielded positive results to the presence of heroin.  Paez accepted responsibility for the drugs and was placed under arrest.  He is currently detained pending trial.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilianys Rivera Miranda.