The leader of 'Los Miami' Artemio López Tardón pleads guilty to money laundering but denies drug trafficking

A total of 66 of the 81 defendants have acknowledged the facts, although some partially

MADRID, 7 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Artemio López Tardón, who together with his brother Álvaro led the criminal organization known as 'Los Miami', has partially acknowledged the facts with which he is charged before the National Court. Thus, he has pleaded guilty to the crimes of money laundering, document falsification and against the Public Treasury, but has denied having anything to do with drug trafficking or counterfeiting currency.

His statement was the last of the 81 held between Monday and Tuesday at the headquarters of the National Court of San Fernando de Henares. The total count of defendants who have come to terms with the Anti-Drug Prosecutor's Office --although some partially-- is 66, while the other 15 have denied their involvement in the organization.

Thus, the conformed, among whom is also Ana María Cameno, known as 'the queen of coca', and her ex-partner David Vela, have affirmed one by one that they accept the facts collected by the Public Ministry in the indictment, although all have denied agreeing with the penalty reflected in that provisional qualification document.

It should be remembered that the prosecutor, in his letter --of 2019-- indicated that the organization was "extremely complex, powerful, labyrinthine, intertwined, highly diversified and meticulously planned", that it was also "permanent and structured", that it had international projection and that it was subdivided "into no less than four large sectors or ramifications."

From the investigation, it has been learned that this organization introduced at least 7.5 tons of cocaine into Spain for distribution throughout Europe and also laundered the tens of millions of euros obtained from the sale. The prosecutor points out that this "powerful" network "whose criminal activities took place inside and outside the Iberian Peninsula" acted over a "very long period of time" that lasted, at least from the beginning of 2007 until the summer of 2011.

The main defendant, Artemio López Tardón, for whom the Prosecutor's Office is requesting 46 years in prison, has appeared before the serene court, wearing a mask at all times, and has chosen to answer seated, with short answers and giving the appearance of great security, to questions from prosecutor Manuel Pérez Veiga.

As soon as he began his statement, which lasted for approximately ten minutes, he has partially acknowledged the facts for which he is accused, but has flatly denied that he had anything to do with or that he had participated in three operations for which certain amounts of drugs were transported from Peru to Spain. "Not at all", he pointed out emphatically, also denying having knowledge about the trafficking of other narcotic substances that are involved in the case.

Following this assertion, the prosecutor did not insist on the crime of trafficking and went on to ask him whether the people who testified both on Monday and Tuesday were aware that they were participating in money laundering operations and if they were acting at his orders and the of his brother --Álvaro López Tardón is serving 150 years of sentence in the US--: "Correct", he blurted out.

Artemio López Tardón has thus overthrown with his statement the attempts of other defendants --such as Javier Jiménez Solís or the brothers David and Mario Martínez-- to deny that they had knowledge of the money-laundering operation in which they allegedly participated.

"From the first to the last - they knew about the laundering operation -. They were huge amounts of money, everyone had to know. It's like hiding an elephant behind the television. It was obvious and notorious," he has come to affirm.

In addition, the ringleader has explained that since he needed certain amounts to be in the bank, what he did was provide that amount to the front men accompanied by a percentage for the service, and they were in charge of converting it into legal money through transfers between mercantile. Thus, what he was doing was paying "for the service of buying money."

According to the letter from the Prosecutor's Office, Artemio (alias 'Arti') and his brother Álvaro headed the first sector of the international criminal organization. He, as "co-leader" assumed at all times "a transcendental, decisive, fundamental, crucial and decisive commitment in Spanish territory, exercising the function of maximum co-direction and co-responsibility".

Thus, "he had the same level of leadership and decision-making power as his brother and co-gyrfalcon (...) Álvaro both with regard to the planning, coordination, preparation and execution of the successive and transoceanic international drug trafficking operations, with the consequent transfer from South America to Spain of the voluminous shipments of cocaine that reached the sum of no less than 7.5 tons, and their subsequent sale and distribution in our country".

The letter pointed out that he also exercised co-chief for "laundering the exorbitant and enormous economic benefits obtained thanks to the previous and continued activity of international drug trafficking." And he added that he was in charge of the planning, elaboration, design, coordination, materialization and direction of this laundering both in Spain and in the US.

In this sense, the Public Ministry explained that this money laundering was carried out by members of "lower levels or steps" of the first 'branch' of the gang, and that they used for this purpose "an intricate and highly complex network or framework of companies or shell or front companies (...) as well as through the use of a large number of natural persons".

These people, to whom the prosecutor refers, were directly subordinate to the orders and mandates of the two-faced dome" of the López Tardón brothers, and acted as "front men or straw men" to channel the laundering of "huge and illegal benefits" from drug trafficking.

With this second day, the court has concluded the interrogation phase of the defendants and the trial will continue on Thursday with the testimony of the police officers proposed by the Public Prosecutor. Although an extensive oral hearing had been scheduled given the number of defendants, the fact that so many consents have been given has also meant that the defenses have renounced practically all the evidence requested, so it is foreseeable that the expected times will be shortened considerably.