Rose Cherami told Lt. Francis Fruge about an upcoming heroin deal. James DiEugenio in Destiny Betrayed wrote: (page 79)
"So, on November 25, Fruge interviewed Cheramie again. He found out her Florida journey with the two men had originated in Miami. Also, that the men seemed to be part of the conspiracy rather than just cognizant of it. Cheramie's child was being held as ransom so that she would play her part in the drug deal. After the heroin transaction, she was to proceed to the Rice Hotel in Houston under an assumed name. Houston is in close proximity to Galveston, the town from which the drugs were coming in. From there, they were to escape to Mexico. Fruge had the heroin aspect of Cheramie's story investigated. Every part of it checked out from the correct ship name coming into Galveston to the reservations under a false name at the Rice Hotel."
Of course, his source for that statement is Probe Magazine, July - August 1999.
Let's have a closer look and see if "every part" of her story checked out. Here are the conclusions from the HSCA:
Doesn't sound like every part of what she said checked out. Unfortunately, I don't have all the underlying reports sourced by the HSCA but I do have the Fruge interview, the Fruge deposition, and two Customs memos.
Here is what Francis Fruge says about the dope incident in Houston. This is from his HSCA interview:
I would have certainly asked Fruge some additional questions. For instance, who was the man who had the baby and the money? Did he really have her baby? If he did, did Fruge not try to get the baby back? What did Cherami say or do about her baby?
Here is an excerpt from Francis Fruge's deposition:
The seaman never appeared at the Rice Hotel with the heroin. The deal did not go down.
Here is a Customs report: (courtesy of Larry Hancock)
Cherami's information was just a "vague rumor."
Here is a more detailed report:
It appears that Cherami provided the names of some people who were already well-known to be involved in narcotics, and nothing more. Once they determined that she was crazy, they realized they were wasting their time, and packed up.