The organization of a concert by the American-Dominican artist Romeo Santos last Sunday at the La Carlota military airport in the east of Caracas caused a major scandal in Venezuela when it became known that one of those responsible was the company that produced the event had been in prison for some time for drug trafficking offenses and organized the evening from prison.
The Attorney General Tarek William Saab announced a day after the unfortunate concert a legal process “to investigate and sanction Panteras Entertainment and Global Boletos Venezuela, two of the companies linked to the organization of the activity, for harm and abuse.” The goodwill of the Fans of the singer Romeo Santos” who had to wait almost six hours after paying for their ticket to see the artist’s performance.
The causes of the prolonged delay were not reported, a circumstance that fueled unrest and triggered the investigation. The prosecution announced that it had identified Francisco Ugueto as the 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 ADG Global Mindt Group, the company that would receive the money from the ticket office.
The State Department is currently processing the measures prohibiting the transfer or encumbrance of assets of these individuals and commercial entities and ordering the immediate immobilization of the seized assets in order to proceed with the prosecution. Saab reported that the investigation carried out by his office identified Juan Carlos Araujo, a businessman imprisoned for drug trafficking and for years co-owner of the well-known company Solid Show, and who was allegedly one of them responsible for hiring Santos. in Caracas.
According to Saab, the prosecution's indictment refers to Argenis Guerra, the director of the El Rodeo prison, where the businessman – one of those who has not been intervened by the armed forces in these weeks – remains imprisoned for organizing Araujo of the international meeting made possible.
Araujo was arrested in 2020 after a plane he owned containing 459 kilos of cocaine was seized in the Dominican Republic. Saab added that Solid Show, Araujo's company that has organized many concerts in the country, “has been used in the past to legitimize drug trafficking capital.”
On the same evening of the concert, which was scheduled for eight in the afternoon and started around four in the morning, things went downhill again without any further explanation and with many apologies, and many people were already upset and withdrew from the concert. Enclosure. Initially, it was reported that Santos' delay was due to intensive screening of his flight from Aruba.
An hour after the wait, already on stage, Santos himself apologized to his fans, arguing that out of respect for his listeners he had never suffered a delay of this kind “in 25 years of his artistic life” and gave his organizers the Blame for what happened. “That was irresponsible and disrespectful to you, to my musicians, my engineers and this server.”
La Carlota Airport, located in the east of Caracas, is an important military base that occasionally organizes musical events that attract particularly large audiences. Its facilities include the General Command of Military Aviation and Bolívar Park.
The misunderstanding surrounding the Santos concert and the criminal consequences it entails have caused deep unease in Venezuelan public opinion, especially on social networks, and on this occasion there were also some people close to Chavismo among them distanced themselves from the event with sharp criticism.
The most widespread reaction is incredulity that an international concert with so many resources is being organized from a prison, under the noses of the authorities and in a location owned by the Venezuelan armed forces.