Former major leaguers Octavio Dotel and Luis Castillo were among those arrested after being linked to a large drug-trafficking and money-laundering ring by authorities in the Dominican Republic, according to multiple reports.
Officials said Tuesday that they are still seeking ring leader Cesar Emilio Peralta, known as “Cesar El Abusador.”
“Eighteen other people are linked to this network, including athletes and baseball players Octavio Dotel and Luis Castillo,” Dominican attorney general Jean Alain Rodriguez said in a news conference before terming it as “the most important drug-trafficking structure in the region.”
Rodriguez said the 18 people — including Dotel and Castillo — were linked to Peralta after Dominican officials seized a 1,050-kilometer shipment of drugs slated to travel from South America to Puerto Rico. U.S. officials also helped in the case.
Rodriguez said that Dotel and Castillo were aiding Peralta in the trafficking.
Castillo, a former three-time All-Star, denied his involvement.
“The truth is my country no longer works,” the 43-year-old Castillo wrote in Spanish on his Instagram page. “My God, do you think that after making millions of dollars in Baseball I am going to dirty my hands with drugs?”
The 45-year-old Dotel hasn’t commented.
Dotel played for 13 teams from 1999-2013, which was a record broken earlier this season by pitcher Edwin Jackson (14 teams). Dotel went 59-50 with a 3.78 ERA and 109 saves in 758 appearances (34 starts).
Castillo batted .290 with 28 homers, 443 RBIs and 370 steals in 1,720 games from 1996-2010. All three of his All-Star appearances came during 10 seasons with the then-Florida Marlins.
–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)
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