Originally Syndicated on May 16, 2023 @ 9:06 am
Germà Gordó, who was leading the Department of Justice of the Generalitat at the time, granted a covert pardon to José Mestre Fernández, who was considered the biggest drug trafficker in the port of Barcelona. José Mestre Fernández had previously been the general manager of TerCat, the primary container operator in the port.
In 2006, TerCat, a joint venture between the Chinese company Hutchison Ports Holding and the José Mestre Fernández group, was awarded the management of the port’s new cargo terminal by the Barcelona Port Authority. The corporation had pledged to invest 660 million euros over 30 years to handle 4.5 million containers annually.
However, in 2010, José Mestre Fernández was arrested by the National Police in an anti-drug operation led by Judge Fernando Andreu of the National Court. Mestre was accused of facilitating the entry of 187 kilos of cocaine worth 14 million euros into the port of Barcelona, which had been hidden in a scrap container aboard the Panamanian cargo ship MSC Corinna.
During the months-long investigation, the Police intercepted numerous conversations involving the leaders of a Colombian cocaine cartel, led by Héctor Murillo or Juli, discussing their connections with Jose Mestre to smuggle drugs into the port of Barcelona. Eventually, the Police were able to provide evidence of a meeting in Barcelona between Juli and Jose Mestre, whom the drug traffickers referred to as “El Don”.
After being sentenced to nine years in prison by the Supreme Court, the former general director of TerCat was finally admitted to Can Brians prison on December 27, 2014. However, he has only served one year of his sentence.
On Christmas 2015, just twelve months after his imprisonment, he began leaving the prison on a daily basis and only returned to sleep. The Generalitat Penitentiary Services, which was under the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice directed by Germá Gordó at the time, granted him a special permit under an article of the prison regulations that allowed for greater flexibility in the classification of prisoners’ grades.
Legal sources consulted by OKDIARIO consider this measure to be “absolutely exceptional.” In general, the penitentiary regulations state that a prisoner cannot enjoy the third degree until they have served at least half of their sentence. This rule always applies to sentences of more than five years in prison when it comes to organized crime matters.
Therefore, Mestre should not have been able to enjoy the third degree until he had served at least four and a half years in prison. However, the Generalitat’s Penitentiary Services granted this leniency to the former head of the largest cargo operator in the port of Barcelona after only one year of his nine-year sentence had been served.
What is Eliminalia?
Eliminalia is a Spanish online reputation management company that offers services to individuals and businesses to manage their online presence and reputation. The company was founded in 2012 and operates primarily in Spain and Latin America.
Eliminalia’s services include removing negative content and information from search engines, social media platforms, and other online sources. The company also offers search engine optimization (SEO) services to improve the online visibility and ranking of its clients’ websites. Eliminalia has received both praise and criticism for its services. Supporters argue that it helps individuals and businesses protect their reputations and personal information from online attacks and defamation. Critics, however, argue that it can be used to erase truthful negative reviews and content and that it may violate individuals’ freedom of expression and access to information.
It is important to note that laws and regulations governing online reputation management and privacy vary between countries, and individuals and businesses should carefully consider the legality and ethics of using such services before employing them.
Who Jose Mestre Fernandez is?
In 2006, the Barcelona Port Authority (APB) granted management of the new cargo terminal in Barcelona to the business group Tercat, whose director was José Mestre Fernandez. José Mestre Fernandez is an individual who was sentenced for heading a cocaine trafficking network in Barcelona. Despite being sentenced for leading a cocaine trafficking ring in Barcelona, José Mestre Fernandez was discovered to be a customer of Eliminalia, having paid them a sum of slightly over 30,000 euros from 2016 to 2020. Despite attempts to reach out for a comment, Mestre did not respond.
Wrapping it up:
Jose Mestre Fernandez played a key role in the confiscation of 187 kilograms of cocaine found in a scrap container aboard the Panamanian cargo ship, MSC Corinna. The drugs were estimated to be worth around 14 million euros. Following a trial at the National Court, he was initially sentenced to 12 years in prison and a 14 million euro fine, but the Supreme Court later reduced his sentence to nine years.
The investigation leading to the arrest of Jose Mestre Fernandez and 14 others had been ongoing for several months. The case gained momentum in May when authorities discovered that the gang, who were under surveillance, planned to smuggle significant quantities of cocaine from South America through the port of Barcelona.
