MIAMI -- One of Elian Gonzalez's great uncles has bought the Little Havana home that became famous while the Cuban boy was living there and plans to convert it into an office for an immigration advocacy group.

Delfin Gonzalez closed on the modest two-bedroom, one-bathroom home Wednesday after three months of negotiations, family attorney Manny Diaz said.

Diaz said Gonzalez bought the home for $80,000 from John and Paula Massey of Coral Gables. The Gonzalez family moved out of the rented home after the April 22 federal raid that removed the 6-year-old boy. They now live about 5 miles away in West Miami.

Initial plans are to house a children's immigration rights advocacy group, which would work with organizations with similar goals, Diaz said.

The family also is considering turning the home into a small museum. "There might be pictures of children on the walls and certainly pictures of Elian; there might be some memorabilia of the time Elian was here," Diaz said.

Elian was placed in the home of his great uncle Lazaro Gonzalez, Delfin's brother, after being rescued at sea last November. His mother and 10 others died when the boat they were in sank in an attempt to reach the United States.

The home became the center of a media spotlight and a gathering point for Cuban-American demonstrators during Elian's five months there.

Police say they've arrested leader of drug-dealing ring

ORLANDO -- A man suspected of leading a cocaine and marijuana smuggling ring that sold about $8-million worth of drugs a year in Central Florida has been arrested, police said.

Juan Alvarado, 42, and five other men were arrested Wednesday, bringing the number of arrests in this case to 16. Alvarado is the alleged head of an organization that investigators estimate smuggled about 550 pounds of cocaine and 3,600 pounds of marijuana each year to Central Florida.

Each of the six faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted on charges of conspiracy to traffic in cocaine and marijuana.

Alvarado, a Mexican national, is accused of smuggling the drugs across the border from Reynosa, Mexico, to McAllen, Texas. The drugs were then moved by truck to Central Florida and sold to five mid-level drug dealers from Alvarado's used-car dealership, investigators said.

The middlemen then distributed the drugs to street dealers throughout Lake, Marion, Orange, Seminole, and Volusia counties, as well as in Dade City and Atlanta, agents said.

Officials are searching for 15 others linked to the drug ring.

2 Disney World workers hurt when wall collapses

LAKE BUENA VISTA -- Two workers were injured when a wall at a Walt Disney World water park fell on them.

The workers, Reed Hayes, 38, and Phillip Davies, 49, were resurfacing a wall by the wave pool at Typhoon Lagoon late Wednesday night when the wall collapsed, Disney spokeswoman Renee Callahan said.

Both were taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center. Davis was later released, and Hayes was in serious but stable condition with multiple cuts, Callahan said.

The water park closed last week for refurbishing and won't be reopened until Christmas Eve.

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Lucy Morgan

From the Times state desk