This is old, but I happened to come across this follow-up article for other reasons, and this is the thread it belongs in... (same paper as the OP).
Given the confusion about the many "Vision Quests" out there, here also is the website of the particular organization in question:
http://www.vq.com/-------------- • -------------- • --------------
Ex-VisionQuest official faces chargesYouth rehab exec quit before arrest in big coke caseBy Dale Quinn
ARIZONA DAILY STARTucson, Arizona | Published: 03.02.2007
The state operations director of the VisionQuest youth-rehabilitation program was arrested on suspicion of moving more than 400 pounds of cocaine across the country, a federal prosecutor said.
Anthony James Zasa Jr., 51, an Elfrida resident, helped coordinate moving the drugs from Arizona to New Jersey, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Lacey said.
Zasa has resigned from his position at VisionQuest, which has a facility in Tucson.
Zasa's brother, Roco Zasa, was arrested in Texas when law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop on Feb. 22 and found about 440 pounds of cocaine in the Winnebago recreational vehicle he was driving, according to court documents.
Roco Zasa agreed to cooperate with authorities and implicated his brother as the leader in the drug transaction, Lacey said.
Roco Zasa told investigators that his brother and a man identified in court documents as Alex Hetherington originally had the drugs, loaded them onto the Winnebago and agreed to pay him for taking the drugs to New Jersey for distribution.
Drug enforcement agents put fake drugs in the Winnebago, and Roco Zasa continued to New Jersey. There he met Hetherington and Kacey Hallford Root at a hotel at a time Anthony Zasa indicated they would arrive, according to court documents.
Hetherington and Root were arrested at the hotel. All defendants will face prosecution in New Jersey, Lacey said.
Anthony Zasa was arrested earlier this week on suspicion of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, according to court documents.
He was in federal court Thursday in Tucson, where a U.S. magistrate judge recommended setting bail at $40,000, Lacey said. He said he would appeal that decision and argue that the defendant should remain detained until the trial. Zasa will remain in custody until a federal judge in New Jersey makes a decision about the appeal, Lacey said.
Walter Nash, Zasa's attorney, said the defendant has a spotless criminal history, without a single arrest.
"The allegations of the complaint are that another individual implicated him," he said. "Mr. Zasa was not in possession of any drugs at the time of his arrest."
Zasa's suspected involvement in the drug transaction has not been linked to his duties at VisionQuest, said Mark Contento, the executive vice president of VisionQuest's Western office, based in Tucson.
According to its Web site, VisionQuest provides an alternative to incarceration for juvenile delinquents. County or state government staffers in corrections, probation, mental health and child welfare refer youths to the program.
Zasa resigned from his position as state operations director when he learned he was going to be arrested, Contento said.
"This is something that took us totally by surprise," Contento said. In his position, Zasa had mostly administrative duties and was not directly responsible for taking care of the teens. He did work with children in some programs, Contento said.
He worked in Arizona for about a year, Contento said. Before that, he held an administrative position in New Jersey. In all, Zasa had been with VisionQuest for nearly 30 years, he said.
The program brought in an interim operations director to replace Zasa, Contento said. Staffers in the program also have been notified of his arrest, and counselors are available to provide support for the children in the program, who've also been told about the incident.
"We are not one person; we are a philosophy," Contento said. VisionQuest has 1,600 children in its care and 1,400 staff members nationwide, Contento said.
All of those employees undergo a federal background check and mandatory drug testing before employment, Contento said. They're also drug-tested randomly or if a child is injured under their supervision.
VisionQuest "is highly committed to youth and the actions, or allegations of actions, of an individual should not unfairly taint our reputation," Contento said.
Drug Enforcement Administration officials in New Jersey could not immediately provide information about the case.
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Contact reporter Dale Quinn at 629-9412 or dquinn@azstarnet.com.
