The Dominican drug kingpin who allegedly ordered a hit on retired Red Sox star David Ortiz was arrested in Colombia earlier this week according to authorities in the Dominican Republic.
César Emilio Peralta, 44, is accused of running a massive drug ring that moved heroin and cocaine through Colombia, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and the United States.
NEW: Video of Cesar "El Abusador" Emilio Peralta after his capture in Colombia.
Peralta, was wanted by the FBI and once rumored to be the mastermind behind the shooting that wounded David Ortiz.If extradited to USA, he'll answer to federal drug trafficking charges. pic.twitter.com/BDaGpoZWrl
— Anaridis Rodriguez (@Anaridis) December 3, 2019
Peralta, also known as “César the Abuser,” was accused of ordering the shooting of Ortiz in a Dominican nightclub in June, according to The Houston Chronicle and Sports Illustrated. Though it’s unknown exactly why Peralta would have ordered the hit on the former slugger, there were rumors he targeted Ortiz over a woman or a money laundering dispute.
“No one in the Dominican Republic ever wanted to be an enemy of Peralta because everybody knew he was part of this [alleged] drug cartel,” Joe Baerlein, a spokesman for Ortiz, said over the summer.
In addition to being wanted by Dominican authorities, Peralta was also in the FBI’s crosshairs as the organization was offering up a $100,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction.
Last November, he was formally charged in U.S. District Court with two counts of conspiracy to import a controlled substance and distribution for purpose of unlawful importation. An extradition request has been issued for the 44-year-old drug kingpin.
Peralta was never formally charged with any crime related to the Ortiz shooting and Dominican authorities maintain Victor Hugo Gomez Vasquez ordered a hit on his cousin, Sixto David Fernández, and that Ortiz ended up being shot due to a case of mistaken identity.
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