Personal Injury Law

Tea Leaves May Forcast Sailor's Future

By Eddie Farah

The tea leaves from this cup have forecast disaster for Navy Petty Officer 2^nd Class Javier Trevino and his job as an air traffic controller at the Mayport Naval Station in Jacksonville. When a friend brought back some tea from Mexico and gave it to Trevino when was visiting in San Antonio last May, it tasted pretty good.

He even gave it to his eleven-year-old son and a best friend’s pregnant wife. But that seemingly innocent cup of tea may end Trevino’s Navy career.

It seems it was mate de coca, made from the leaves of the plant used to make cocaine. On a drug test it shows up as cocaine, even though the plant leaves are legal in the U.S. There is not enough cocaine in the leaves to be of consequence – less than one percent, and the Florida Times-Union reports the tea is even available for $21 on Amazon in a form where the cocaine is removed much like decaffeinated coffee removes caffeine. Still a small amount remains.

He was convicted at a court-martial in December and now faces a discharge from the Navy and a loss of his air traffic controller license after he failed a drug test. Trevino says he had no idea this is how things would turn out when he went in for a random drug test at Mayport in July.

Even though the judge decided his claims of innocence were credible, Trevino will begin 45 days of restricted duty. His troubles are not over. He will have to appear before an administrative separation board which will decide on his discharge and whether he can keep his air traffic controller’s license.

Trevino says he plans to educate other sailors against drinking teas from other countries, the origins of which you don’t know.

That doesn’t sound like bad advice for anyone, especially if their livelihood might include an occasional drug test. We wish him well from here on out. #

Full post as published by Jacksonville Personal Injury Lawyer on January 10, 2009 (boomark / email).