Watch CBS News

Bond Denied For Miami Couple Accused Of Drug Trafficking

Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter

MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Bond has been denied for a couple arrested after an anonymous tip led police to the discovery of an arsenal of weapons and a drug store's worth of narcotics at their Miami home.

Paul and Charice Labrador, both 47, stood in front of a judge Thursday morning, who decided they will remain behind bars.

A day earlier, Miami-Dade Police discovered the alleged contraband inside the couple's house at 5001 S.W. 98th Avenue.

Miami-Dade Police Drug Gun Bust 2
Miami-Dade said they found inside the home a total of 32 weapons, including multiple rifles and an Uzi. (Source: Miami-Dade Police Department)

Police had staked out the home leading up to the arrests. As soon as Paul left, he was stopped for a traffic violation. An officer spotted a baggie of cocaine on the seat of his car, according to an arrest report. A further search of the vehicle revealed another 17 grams of cocaine in individually-wrapped baggies and more than $1,700 cash.

That led police back to the home.

"They immediately responded back to this house, knocked on the door and made contact with his wife, who allowed the detectives to come in and gave them consent," said Miami-Dade Police officer Alvara Zabaleta.

Inside the house, they found 32 firearms that included high-powered rifles, semi-automatic pistols and a fully automatic Uzi submachine gun.

Bags of cocaine, marijuana and hundreds of Xanax and Oxycontin pills were also confiscated.

Residents in the area had no idea what was allegedly going on in the small home on a quiet street.

"It's difficult. It's difficult to see and learn of all this stuff after the fact. And you see these people everyday and you don't think that this could happen," said Alex Sosa.

Despite the allegations, the Labrador's have a good reputation among their neighbors.

"Really friendly people," said neighbor Andy DeLeon. "It's a surprise to all of us. We've all been talking about it. It just goes to show sometimes you really don't know what's going on."

Authorities said the bust, involving highly dangerous weapons, is a perfect example of someone knowing something and reporting it.

"When the community gets involved and the community provides us these tips, our detectives will follow up on these tips and you never know what they can dismantle," said Ofc. Zabaleta.

The Labrador's are being held on a myriad of charges including armed drug trafficking. The combination of drugs and weapons could carry a penalty of up to life in prison.

Investigators continue to look into why such a large cache of firearms were in the home, how they were obtained and whether they were part of an illegal weapons sales operation.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.