Former World Series champions Octavio Dotel and Luis Castillo were arrested Tuesday for alleged ties with "one of the most important drug trafficking structures in the Caribbean region," according to the Dominican Republic's attorney general.
Castillo and Dotel, both originally from the Dominican Republic, were arrested along with 16 others in an operation to shut down a drug ring run by César Emilio Peralta, according to a press release from Attorney General of the Dominican Republic Jean Alain Rodríguez.
Members of the ring allegedly used the Dominican Republic as a bridge for the transit and illicit entry of drugs to the United States from South America. Peralta, also known as César El Abusador, allegedly created a mafia-like organization.
“To enter and launder the illicit money obtained from drug trafficking, César El Abusador also created a complicated corporate framework to disguise the origin of his fortune, also using numerous individuals belonging to his family and social circle to hide his assets, including 2 sports figures of the Dominican Republic that we will present to you," the press release stated.
Tuesday's operation included more than 700 people from multiple agencies, including the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI and the Dominican Republic's National Drug Control Directorat.
Authorities also arrested a handful of allegedly high-ranking members of the ring, Baltazar Mesa, José Jesús Tapia Pérez, and Sergio Gómez Díaz. The attorney general's office said that these men are facing possible extradition to the United States.
Castillo and Dotel, both originally from the Dominican Republic, were arrested along with 16 others in an operation to shut down a drug ring run by César Emilio Peralta, according to a press release from Attorney General of the Dominican Republic Jean Alain Rodríguez.
Members of the ring allegedly used the Dominican Republic as a bridge for the transit and illicit entry of drugs to the United States from South America. Peralta, also known as César El Abusador, allegedly created a mafia-like organization.
“To enter and launder the illicit money obtained from drug trafficking, César El Abusador also created a complicated corporate framework to disguise the origin of his fortune, also using numerous individuals belonging to his family and social circle to hide his assets, including 2 sports figures of the Dominican Republic that we will present to you," the press release stated.
Tuesday's operation included more than 700 people from multiple agencies, including the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI and the Dominican Republic's National Drug Control Directorat.
Authorities also arrested a handful of allegedly high-ranking members of the ring, Baltazar Mesa, José Jesús Tapia Pérez, and Sergio Gómez Díaz. The attorney general's office said that these men are facing possible extradition to the United States.
