South Florida Women Detained In Cuba For Smuggling Synthetic Marijuana

A 20-year-old South Florida woman named Melissa Acosta and one other woman (unidentified for now) were detained in Cuba this week for allegedly trying to smuggle in synthetic weed. El Nuevo Herald reported that Acosta's mother -- Jenny Valdes -- had told a local CBS affiliate that her daughter has...

By Ryan Cortes

July 4, 2014

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A 20-year-old South Florida woman named Melissa Acosta and one other woman (unidentified for now) were detained in Cuba this week for allegedly trying to smuggle in synthetic weed.

El Nuevo Herald reported that Acosta's mother -- Jenny Valdes -- had told a local CBS affiliate that her daughter has a learning disability and went to Havana with another woman described as the mother of her son's fiancé.

Valdes claims the fiance's family occasionally makes visits to Cuba because of a family business they own where they get to the country with suitcases filled with goods.

"She's got the mind capacity of a 12- to 15-year-old, so imagine being over there not speaking a word of Spanish and being strip-searched," Valdes told the TV station "I love her, I miss her (and) I want her home. She's scared but we're going to figure it out. We're going to find someone who will help her."

The Spanish-language newspaper also reported that her relatives in South Florida are trying to find a lawyer in Cuba to represent Acosta. They have also apparently reached out to U.S. government officials for help.

The U.S. diplomatic mission in Havana said it would help Acosta, El Nuevo Herald reported, but didn't elaborate.

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