Tampa Bay briefs

By Times staff reports

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 4, 2001

Colombians given prison terms for drug smuggling

TAMPA -- Five Colombians have been sentenced to prison terms from 11 to 27 years for attempting to smuggle about 5,000 pounds of cocaine off the coast of South America last year.

The men were arrested June 10 by the Coast Guard and Navy after the cocaine was discovered aboard their speedboat.

Elkena Hudson-Hyde of Honduras received 27 years in prison. He had been previously convicted and sentenced to 51/2 years in prison for his part in a smuggling operation that resulted in the seizure of 61,000 pounds of marijuana in 1985.

Edwin Lester-Brugat was sentenced to 14 years. Juan Carlos Acevedo, Carlos Aparicio-Cruz and Aquino Garcia each received 11 years and 3 months in prison.

They were sentenced Friday in federal court in Tampa.

Man charged with killing roommate is identified

TAMPA -- A Tampa man charged with killing his roommate Friday has been identified as 39-year-old Peter Alexander Barrett.

Police said Barrett and his roommate had been drinking at their apartment at 10116 Hyacinth Ave. early Friday when they argued and Barrett beat him with a baseball bat and stabbed him.

Barrett, 39, was arrested at 7:30 a.m. Friday and is being held in jail without bail on a first-degree murder charge.

The roommate's name has not been released pending the notification of relatives.

One killed, one injured when van veers off road

The driver of a van that ran off the road in rural Hillsborough County died Saturday night at the scene of the accident.

Thomas Lopez, 29, of 13322 Mullis Drive in Dover was driving south on Sydney Washer Road near State Road 60 about 7 p.m. when the van ran off the shoulder of the road, said Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Debbie Carter. He was ejected from the vehicle.

His passenger, cousin Adolpho Lopez, 24, was treated for minor injuries.

Carter said that alcohol was a factor in the accident and that Thomas Lopez had not been wearing his seat belt.

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