Ex-New York Mets Tied to Drug Kingpin Who Allegedly Ordered David Ortiz Hit

Octavio Dotel and Luis Castillo are linked to César Emilio Peralta's alleged drug ring

Ex-Mets Linked to DR Drug Kingpin Who Allegedly Ordered David Ortiz Hit
Former Boston Red Sox player David Ortiz at his jersey retirement ceremony. (Adam Glanzman/Getty)
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Former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel and ex-infielder Luis Castillo are connected to a drug ring which is headed by the man who allegedly ordered a hit on retired slugger David Ortiz, according to authorities in the Dominican Republic.

Dotel and Castillo, both of whom played for the Mets in addition to a number of other teams, were named as being part of César Emilio Peralta’s drug-trafficking and money-laundering ring following a massive bust in the DR on Tuesday.

Peralta, also known as “César the Abuser,” was accused of ordering the shooting of Ortiz which occurred in a Dominican nightclub in June, according to The Houston Chronicle and Sports Illustrated.

“Dominican media refers to him as one of the top narcotraffickers in the country, and he has somehow remained out of prison, despite multiple arrests for drug trafficking and violence,” SI wrote of Peralta in July. “One set of rumors allege that he targeted Ortiz over a woman, or a money laundering dispute.”

Peralta, who is being pursued by police but is not in custody, previously denied any involvement in Ortiz being shot.

“Eighteen other people are linked to this network, including athletes and baseball players Octavio Dotel and Luis Castillo,” Dominican attorney general Jean Alain Rodríguez said at a news conference, the Associated Press reported. Rodríguez also called Peralta’s alleged ring “the most important drug trafficking structure in the region.”

Police have Dotel in custody and have cited Luis Castillo following Tuesday’s bust, which also netted a 1,050-kilogram shipment of drugs heading from South America to Puerto Rico.

“In the operation, they raided 15 nightclubs, 10 restaurants, three shopping malls and more than 20 luxury apartment buildings in the National District and Sto Dgo [Santo Domingo] East,” tweeted baseball journalist Antonio Puesán. “Among them, one in the Blue Tower building, where former baseball player David Ortiz also has one of those properties.”

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