{"id":20855,"date":"2019-08-20T21:53:35","date_gmt":"2019-08-20T21:53:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/2019\/08\/20\/ex-mlb-players-luis-castillo-octavio-dotel-linked-to-alleged-dominican-drug-lord\/"},"modified":"2019-08-20T21:53:35","modified_gmt":"2019-08-20T21:53:35","slug":"ex-mlb-players-luis-castillo-octavio-dotel-linked-to-alleged-dominican-drug-lord","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/ex-mlb-players-luis-castillo-octavio-dotel-linked-to-alleged-dominican-drug-lord\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-MLB Players Luis Castillo, Octavio Dotel Linked To Alleged Dominican Drug Lord"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Colin Dwyer<\/a><\/span> <\/p>\n

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\n Octavio Dotel, then a pitcher for the Kansas City Royals, seen during a 2007 game. Dominican Republic authorities arrested the former MLB player, saying both he and ex-infielder Luis Castillo were linked with an alleged drug trafficker.<\/p>\n

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Charlie Riedel\/AP<\/p>\n

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Charlie Riedel\/AP<\/p>\n

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Two former Major League Baseball stars, pitcher Octavio Dotel and infielder Luis Castillo, have been implicated in a massive drug trafficking bust in the Dominican Republic. The country’s attorney general, Jean Alain Rodr\u00edguez, announced Tuesday that the operation targeted alleged drug kingpin C\u00e9sar Emilio Peralta, also known as “C\u00e9sar the abuser,” and the extensive criminal operation he led.<\/p>\n

Castillo is not the current Cincinnati Reds player<\/a> of the same name. The Luis Castillo accused by authorities played with the then-Florida Marlins and the New York Mets.<\/p>\n

Hundreds of narcotics agents, prosecutors and other government officials took part in the attempt to dismantle Peralta’s network, which Rodr\u00edguez called “the most important drug trafficking structure in the region” and that also included alleged money laundering. Dotel is among the suspects arrested, and Rodr\u00edguez named Castillo as one of the 18 figures linked to Peralta \u2014 though both Castillo and Peralta remained at large at the time of the attorney general’s announcement.<\/p>\n

Rodr\u00edguez did not immediately specify the role authorities believe the two former baseball players performed in Peralta’s operation. He said his team had collaborated with the U.S. during the investigation, exchanging information with the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration.<\/p>\n