Bailaor Rafael Amargo is scheduled to appear in court next June amid allegations of crimes against public health. The charges allege that drugs were persistently sold to third parties in exchange for money.
An oral hearing is planned across several dates in June at the Madrid County Court, according to legal sources. The artist faces a tax-related lawsuit with a potential nine-year prison sentence.
Arrest records show Bitter, along with a partner and two others, were detained on December 1, 2020, for alleged offenses. The codex in question derives from a Latin word meaning raven and was nicknamed for an image seen on social media featuring a bird with outstretched wings.
Those in custody were released as a precaution, with passport restrictions, a ban on leaving the country, and a requirement to attend court every two weeks.
The prosecutor has requested the same nine-year term in the indictment. Juan Eduardo Sbaramargo is listed as a production assistant who allegedly acted in concert with another defendant in the procurement and distribution of the substances involved.
According to the account from the prosecutor, in April and December 2020 both defendants allegedly engaged in ongoing drug distribution to third parties in exchange for payment, including methamphetamines.
Sale to third parties
To carry out the alleged scheme, the two defendants allegedly obtained substances and arranged for their distribution to different suppliers. They then split the drugs between themselves before selling to customers.
Authorities claim the dancer supplied drugs to individuals who visited his home in Madrid and other provinces, coordinating deliveries to locations specified by customers. Manuel Ángel BL, a partner of Amargo, is said to have facilitated these transactions, taking responsibility for the deliveries and later returning home with the money earned from sales.
As an example, the Prosecutor’s Office described a case on April 27, 2020, when Manuel Ángel allegedly prepared to deliver a bag of substances to a client for 50 euros. The substance was methamphetamine taken from Amargo’s residence shortly before the exchange, with the money exchanged upon delivery.
Surveillance devices installed at the residence reportedly showed how many visitors arrived and left shortly after entering, while authorities continued to identify both individuals as they handled a narcotic substance bought at the address and compiled arrest records.
On an order issued December 1, 2020 by Court of Justice No. 48 in Madrid, agents were allowed to search the defendants’ homes.
In a bail-related moment, officers intercepted three boxes containing alkyl nitrites known as poppers, a sachet of the substance, a net weight of 0.089 grams of phenylethylamine, and a bottle containing 6 milliliters of GBL, with an estimated market value of 314.19 euros per gram.
For Juan Eduardo, investigators found a container with methamphetamine, weighing 4.466 grams and showing a purity of 76.4%, valued at 115.67 euros per gram; a bag testing positive for ketamine at 50.4% purity; and MDMA with a purity of 6.9%, totaling 0.185 grams and a market value of 18.5 euros per gram.
These findings were documented in the prosecution files as part of ongoing legal proceedings. The case continues to unfold as the court reviews evidence and arguments from both sides, with further hearings scheduled as needed. At stake are questions about responsibility, the role of accomplices, and the broader implications for public health and safety in the region. The proceedings are tracked by authorities and reported by legal observers with attribution to the prosecuting office and the Madrid court system.