The National Court delivered a sweeping judgment in a case labeled “Miami”, involving 81 defendants charged with crimes against public health, money laundering, document falsification, illegal possession of weapons, currency exchange, and counterfeiting against the public Treasury. The verdict carries penalties ranging from ten months to five and a half years in prison, along with substantial fines nearing 85 million euros.
In a 271-page ruling issued by the Fourth Criminal Division, the court sentenced one defendant to five years in prison. Ana María Cameno, known by her nickname Chicken, faced multiple charges including crimes against public health involving a harmful substance, leadership of a criminal organization, money laundering, and illegal weapon possession. The court granted some defendants a simplified relief for undue delays, applying this consideration to all convicted individuals and to roughly 60 defendants who admitted their involvement, including another accomplice who confessed and cooperated with the justice system.
Artemio López Tardón received a three-year prison term and a fine close to 85 million euros for money laundering linked to drug trafficking, crimes against the Treasury, and document falsification. He was acquitted of a public health crime attributed to a leadership-level organization that prosecutors had also charged, a group deemed to have caused severe harm. For David Martínez García, the chamber imposed a higher sentence of five and a half years for money laundering tied to drug trafficking and document falsification.
Neither the suppliers nor the amount of medicine
The sentence notes that prosecutors established the existence of a criminal organization rooted in South America, active between 2000 and 2010, which organized the entry of large quantities of cocaine into Europe via Spain. Investigations identified individuals in Spain but did not disclose identities of suppliers or buyers, the exact quantities involved, or how the cocaine was distributed or marketed. The court acknowledged the substantial evidence of a massive cocaine importation but found insufficient proof to pin the perpetrators to specific roles, including Artemio López Tardón and other defendants. It did, however, concede that multiple trading operations were conducted to profit from the sale and distribution of the cocaine under legal commercial channels.
Although the precise suppliers and importers on the cocaine side remain unidentified, investigations did examine Cuban and Colombian figures connected to the case on the Spanish side. Among those implicated were Ana María Cameno, David Vela Narro, and Raúl and Víctor Juárez Smith, along with Laurentino Sánchez Serrano, all of them described as individuals of Colombian origin. In a coordinated approach with the defendants who were part of the network, certain leaders and associates stayed apprised of ongoing negotiations. Names such as Nestor Mario and Carlos Mauricio Gutierrez Ramirez were cited as participants who, even though the organization could not be fully controlled, maintained contact with suppliers and contributed to the illicit operation’s profitability.
Unnecessary delays
The court rejected requests for high-quality or extraordinary relief tied to delays, citing the complexity of the case. More than 400 individuals were investigated, and many defendants resided outside Spain. The proceedings, extending across multiple courts in Spain, generated a large volume of rogation letters and extradition requests. The court noted that the combination of the seriousness of the crimes, the pandemic pause, and logistical challenges—such as the lack of adequate courtroom space for a large number of participants, including defendants, lawyers, and prosecutors—contributed to scheduling delays. The decision emphasizes the gravity of the facts and the practical hurdles that complicated the proceedings.