Latin music star Romeo Santos is in the middle of a scandal linking him with a convicted Venezuelan drug dealer who allegedly hired him through his company Pantera Entertainment for concerts in Aruba and Caracas.
Both events started late due to what Santos' team called "business issues." The delay in Caracas exceeded eight hours, with Santos' show beginning at 4 AM instead of 8 PM.
The incident caused a social media uproar and became a trending topic in Latin America. On Tuesday, Venezuela's government, led by Nicolás Maduro, announced an investigation about the issue. A statement from Attorney General Tarek William Saab linked the delay to a broader scandal.
Money Laundering and the Venezuela Concerts
According to Saab, Pantera Entertainment and its ticketing partner, Global Boletos Venezuela, operated from a military jail in Caracas. The alleged mastermind, Juan Carlos Araujo Durán, detained since 2015 for drug trafficking, reportedly ran the operation. He previously owned Solid Show and was tied with money laundering actions.
"Initial investigations identified that the alleged person responsible for organizing the concert is Juan Carlos Araujo Durán, currently detained and prosecuted as the owner of an aircraft seized with 459 kilograms of cocaine in 2015 in the Dominican Republic. This criminal also previously owned and presided over the event company Solid Show, used for legitimizing drug trafficking capital," informed the Venezuelan Attorney General.
Pantera Entertainment also organized recent concerts for CNCO.
Saab claims Araujo operated with help from Argenis Guerra, the detention center's director, now jailed for corruption.
#AHOR @MinpublicoVEN #designa #Fiscalía 24 Nacional, para #Investigar y #Sancionar irregularidades cometidas por la empresa PANTERAS ENTERTAINMEN y GLOBAL BOLETOSVZLA quienes con medios capaces para delinquir: agraviaron y abusaron de la buena fe de la #fanaticada del cantante… pic.twitter.com/cGr8lPwXQB
— Tarek William Saab (@TarekWiliamSaab) December 12, 2023
Behind the Delay of Santos' Concert
Pantera Entertainment said the delay was due to logistical hurdles in transporting Santos' gear. Airspace restrictions and a thorough Dominican Republic inspection of the charter plane caused significant setbacks, delaying the Caracas concert start time, the company said.
"Due to airspace restrictions between Aruba and Venezuela, the chartered plane carrying Romeo Santos' equipment and instruments had to follow an indirect route, passing through the Dominican Republic. Upon landing there, the plane was subjected to a thorough inspection by local authorities, said a statement from the company.
This unexpected review resulted in a significant delay, as more than 3747.858 pounds of equipment, including 80 racks and 102 cases of instruments, had to be disembarked and examined. This process was completed around midnight, finally allowing the departure to Caracas," it added.
Comunicado Oficial #RomeoSantos #LaCarlota pic.twitter.com/gz0SFMB0mN
— Panteras Entertainment (@panteras_entmt) December 11, 2023
Romeo Santos' outrage
"Yesterday I took the stage at 4 in the morning, just like today, due to a situation involving the same company that organized this event," he said at the beginning of his show in Caracas.
Santos described the incident as a total lack of respect on the part of the company towards him, his career, and especially his audience, and stated that it was all due to very poor organization. "It's irresponsible and disrespectful towards you, the audience, my musicians, my technicians, and myself," he added.
According to the Venezuelan media, Santos refused to leave the audience without a show, and was waiting on his plane for his team and equipment.
According to Venezuelan officials, the assets of the company has been frozen and a criminal investigation is underway.
So it turns out that the chaotic Romeo Santos show that took place at a military-run facility in Caracas was actually produced by a drug dealer who’s behind bars?
— Rafael Olavarría (@RafaelOlavarria) December 12, 2023
Venezuela: la tierra de lo posible.
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