Questions follow Puerto Rican drug baron’s seized watches

Santo Domingo.- The National anti Money Laundering Committee made official the auction held Thursday, in which some “questioned” people bought 27 of the 28 expensive watches seized in the case of Puerto Rican drug baron Jose D. Figueroa Agosto.

The measure comes despite Justice minister Radhamés Jiménez’s warning to annul the process, when it was learned that one of the buyers is the lawyer Miledys Aybar, who together with her father was on the defense team of Eddy Brito, convicted in the case. Aybar, 27, bought four watches, for a total of US$49,306.

Another of the questioned buyers is Marcos Enmanuel Ferrando Aybar, who bought 11 of the coveted timepieces. He posted in his Facebook account photos of a Ferrari and a Porsche, very similar to those seized from Figueroa in 2009.

Newspaper El Nacional reported that on January 5, the 28 “watches of fine brands property of the State” were auctioned off for a total of US$609,850.

The Company Yang Investments bought eight; Adonis Nicolas Charalambous Saviñon, three, and Jocelle Sharine Pou, one.

The watches and other goods were seized from Sobeida Felix and Leivy Nin Batiste, both pleaded guilty and convicted to five years in prison.

Mary Peláez, Ivanovich Sméster, Sammy Dauhajre and Juan Jose Fernandez were sentenced to 15 years in prison; Eddy Brito to 12, and Madeline Bernard, 5.