Ricardo Riquelme Vega Explained

Ricardo Riquelme Vega, also known as El Rico, is a Chilean criminal, who had been convicted of ordering an assassination and laundering drug money.[1] [2]

Criminal career

His first arrest for cocaine trafficking was in Germany in 1999.[1]

He is believed to be a right-hand man of Naoufal Fassih and a senior member of the gang responsible for the murder and beheading of Nabil Amzieb.[1]

He was arrested in a hotel in Santiago, Chile in October 2017.[1]

On 31 May 2021 he was convicted of operating an assassination ring and laundering drug money.[2] The trial was held in a fortified court known as De Bunker near Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.[2] The court heard that he was in contact with Ridouan Taghi about organising murders.[2] Judges were also told his phone had a video featuring both Daniel Kinahan and Raffaele Imperiale.[2] It was alleged that Vega, Kinahan, Imperiale and Naoufal Fassih were involved in a drugs cartel that dominated the market in Europe.[2]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Cartel's main coke man 'El Rico' busted. Tallant. Nicola. 6 November 2017. 21 June 2021. The Herald.
  2. News: Daniel Kinahan's 'super cartel' ally El Rico is jailed for 11 years for running gangland assassination ring. Fetherstonhaugh. Neil. 2 June 2021. 21 June 2021. Sunday World.