{"id":20971,"date":"2019-08-30T19:30:07","date_gmt":"2019-08-30T19:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/2019\/08\/30\/ex-mlb-players-octavio-dotel-luis-castillo-cleared-of-drug-ring-allegations\/"},"modified":"2019-08-30T19:30:07","modified_gmt":"2019-08-30T19:30:07","slug":"ex-mlb-players-octavio-dotel-luis-castillo-cleared-of-drug-ring-allegations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/ex-mlb-players-octavio-dotel-luis-castillo-cleared-of-drug-ring-allegations\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-MLB Players Octavio Dotel, Luis Castillo Cleared Of Drug Ring Allegations"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

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\n Octavio Dotel leaves a courtroom Wednesday in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, one day before the former major league pitcher was released on bail. On Thursday, a judge cleared him and former MLB player Luis Castillo of allegations that they had supported a drug trafficking ring.<\/p>\n

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Tatiana Fernandez\/AP<\/p>\n

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Tatiana Fernandez\/AP<\/p>\n

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Just over a week after Luis Castillo and Octavio Dotel headlined a list of suspects named in the Dominican Republic’s recent drug trafficking bust<\/a>, a local judge has cleared the retired MLB players of money laundering charges. Judge Jos\u00e9 Alejandro Vargas decided Thursday that the prosecution had failed to show enough evidence to implicate Castillo or Dotel.<\/p>\n

Dotel was released on bail Thursday after nine days in detention. He still stands accused of possessing illegal weapons at the time he was arrested, a charge that was not directly connected to the drug bust. As he left the court hearing in Santo Domingo, the former pitcher flashed a quick smile<\/a> for nearby members of the media.<\/p>\n

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Former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel is free of charges. Judge couldn’t find any relationship with most wanted Dominican Kingpin Cesar El Abusador. pic.twitter.com\/pBkL5cyZdD<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Antonio Pues\u00e1n (@antoniopuesan) August 29, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n

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In announcing the bust last week, the country’s attorney general, Jean Alain Rodr\u00edguez, linked the two former major leaguers to an alleged drug kingpin named C\u00e9sar Emilio Peralta, also known as “C\u00e9sar the abuser.” Peralta and his alleged network of drug runners and money launderers were the focus of the Dominican investigation \u2014 one that was supported by the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration in the U.S. <\/p>\n