Police – NBC 6 South Florida

More than 35 years after a botched drug deal ended with a kidnapping and fatal shooting in Miami-Dade, one of the men responsible who fled to Venezuela has been taken into custody in South Florida, authorities said.

Ricardo Calderon, 66, was arrested at Miami International Airport Wednesday night to face charges including first-degree murder and kidnapping, an arrest report said.

Calderon has been a wanted man in connection with the killing of Flavio Castellanos, whose bullet-riddled body was found in the area of Northwest 117th Avenue and 22nd Street on Aug. 20, 1987.

Miami-Dade Corrections

According to an arrest warrant issued on Sept. 23, 1987, Castellanos and another man had been brokers of a 17-kilo cocaine deal involving drugs supplied by Calderon and another man named Zinguer.

But the deal was never completed, and the cocaine was stolen by the buyers.

An enraged Calderon and Zinguer blamed Castellanos and the other broker for the botched deal, then kidnapped them by ordering them into a van and taking them to a home on Southwest 71st Lane, the warrant said.

After being questioned at the home, Castellanos and the other broker were taken to a house in Fort Lauderdale where they were tied up with a cord from a vacuum cleaner, placed in separate rooms and interrogated, the warrant said.

Castellanos and the other broker were put into Calderon’s van and driven back to Miami-Dade on Aug. 19, 1987, the warrant said.

The other broker overheard Calderon and Zinguer discussing killing them before Calderon was dropped off at an unknown location, the warrant said.

After Calderon was dropped off, the other broker said Castellanos got up in the van and attacked Zinguer, the warrant said.

The other broker heard a gunshot and saw Castellanos had been shot and that Zinguer had a firearm in his hand. He said he was able to escape the van without being shot.

The next day, Aug. 20, Castellanos’ body was discovered. The day after, Aug. 21, Zinguer and Calderon fled to Venezuela, the warrant said.

Police haven’t released any other details on Wednesday’s arrest.

Records showed Calderon was booked into the Miami-Dade jail where he remained held without bond Thursday. He briefly appeared in bond court Thursday where he was told he’d have to come back on Friday.