The organization of a recital by the American-Dominican artist Romeo Santos, last Sunday, at the La Carlota military airport, in the east of Caracas, has generated a scandal of major proportions in Venezuela, once it was learned that one of the Those responsible for the company that produced the event had been in prison for some time for drug trafficking crimes, and organized the evening from prison.
The attorney general, Tarek William Saab, announced a day after the ill-fated concert a legal procedure “to investigate and sanction” Panteras Entertainment and Global Boletos Venezuela, two of the companies linked to the organization of the activity, “for harming and abusing the good faith of the fans of the singer Romeo Santos”, who had to wait almost six hours, after having paid their ticket, to see the artist perform.
The causes of the prolonged delay have not been reported, a circumstance that fueled the unrest and triggered the investigation. The Prosecutor's Office announced that it identified Francisco Ugueto as director of the company Panteras Entertainment Venezuela, and Eduardo Valera and Giuseppe Morreale, as the owners of Global Boletos Venezuela. Also to Néstor Nieves, from the ADG Global Mindt Group, the company that would receive the money from the ticket office.
▶️ WHAT HAPPENED HERE? |🤔
Fans criticized Romeo Santos for starting his concert in Caracas, Venezuela, at almost 4:00 am 😱
💭”I have had a career for 26 years and I have never disrespected my audience,” he mentioned and blamed the organizers of the event for what happened. pic.twitter.com/Oc8K4ZDsW5
— DELPY 📱🎬 (@delpynews) December 11, 2023
The Public Ministry is now processing the measures prohibiting the transfer or encumbrance of assets of these people and commercial companies, and the immediate immobilization of the seized assets to proceed with charging them. Saab reported that the investigations carried out by his office identified Juan Carlos Araujo, a businessman who is imprisoned accused of drug trafficking, for years he was co-owner of the well-known company Solid Show, and who, allegedly, was one of those responsible for hiring Santos. in Caracas.
According to what Saab stated, the Prosecutor's Office's accusations include Argenis Guerra, director of the El Rodeo prison, where the businessman – one of those who has not been intervened by the military forces in these weeks – remains imprisoned, for allowing Araujo organize the international meeting.
Araujo had been arrested in 2020 after an aircraft he owned was confiscated with 459 kilos of cocaine in the Dominican Republic. Saab added that Solid Show, Araujo's company, which has organized many concerts in the country, “has been used to legitimize drug trafficking capital in the past.”
Things went out of their way during the same night of the concert, which was scheduled for eight in the afternoon and ended up starting around four in the morning, without further explanation and with many apologies, with many people already upset and withdrawn from the concert. enclosure. It had first been reported that Santos' delay was due to the fact that his flight, from Aruba, had been subjected to intense controls.
An hour after the wait, already on stage, Santos himself would apologize to his fans, arguing that, out of respect for his listeners, he has never incurred a delay of that type “in 25 years of artistic life”, blaming his organizers of what happened. “This has been irresponsible and a lack of respect, with you, with my musicians, my technicians and this server.”
Located in the east of Caracas, La Carlota airport is an important military base where musical activities are occasionally organized that have a particularly large audience. Within its facilities is the General Command of Military Aviation and Bolívar Park.
The misunderstanding surrounding the Santos concert and the criminal consequences it brings have left deep discomfort in Venezuelan public opinion, particularly on social networks, and on this occasion it has included some individuals close to Chavismo, who have distanced themselves from what happened with harsh criticism.
The most widespread reaction is disbelief at the fact that an international concert with so many resources involved is organized from a prison, under the noses of the authorities and in a site that belongs to the Venezuelan Armed Forces.
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