Orlando Robles Ortiz, a Santeria leader charged with helping run an organization that allegedly smuggled drugs bound for the US and rigged Puerto Rico’s lottery system to launder money, was among dozens of suspects arrested in San Juan and New York, according to federal agents.
Robles, aka “Babalao”, is accused of helping the group transport US-bound cocaine from St Maarten to Puerto Rico and of consulting with a spirit named “Samuel” on which days were best to do so, officials said.
…The organization had operated since 2003 and is accused of earning US$127 million distributing at least 840 kilograms of cocaine a year across Puerto Rico and to Connecticut and New York aboard commercial planes, said Assistant US Attorney Mariana Bauza.
Among those accused is a former stewardess for American Airlines, the former owner of a local baseball team, and a former local basketball player.
The organization had also established a contact within Puerto Rico’s lottery office that gave them unclaimed winning numbers sothey could conceal their earnings, said Assistant US Attorney Jose Capo.