U.S. Rep. Adam Smith on Friday ramped up his public support for a Tacoma man who’s been held since November in a Nicaraguan prison on charges of drug trafficking and money laundering.

Published: 06/10/11 9:50 pm

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/06/10/1701544/rep-smith-continues-push-to-free.html

U.S. Rep. Adam Smith on Friday ramped up his public support for a Tacoma man who’s been held since November in a Nicaraguan prison on charges of drug trafficking and money laundering.

At a news conference outside the federal courthouse in downtown Seattle, the Tacoma Democrat said he is concerned about apparent human-rights violations against Jason Puracal and said he has been working with the U.S. State Department to make sure Puracal receives a fair trial.

Puracal’s mother, Dr. Daisy Puracal Zachariah, a family physician widely known in Tacoma through the private practice she ran for nearly 30 years, also spoke at the news conference.

Puracal, 33, graduated from Tacoma’s Foss High School in 1995. He went on to the University of Washington, then to Nicaragua in the Peace Corps.

In recent years, Puracal has run a real estate office in the beach town of San Juan del Sur. Nicaraguan police arrested Puracal last November, saying he used his real estate business to launder money and aid drug dealers.

According to Puracal’s family, the charges are politically motivated and without merit.

While awaiting trial, currently scheduled for Wednesday, Puracal is being held without bail. His family says he is being mistreated and denied adequate medical care.