Almeida and Cassara had traveled to South Africa in December 2014 to meet with Yester-Garrido and seek his assistance with the drug debt after $250,000 worth of high-grade marijuana was stolen from co-conspirators. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. Garrido, being a likeable person, became an acquaintance of MWP and MWP assisted Yester-Garrido to establish a home in Johannesburg. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. These men, in turn, were close to Agliotti, several sources who knew them said, and company records confirm. View our comments policy In South Africa, he posed as Antonio Lamas, a Mexican dealer in aircraft spares. According to the friend, who asked not to be named, Yester-Garrido became part of a tight-knit circle that included Glenn Agliotti. Around 1997, Yester-Garrido fled to South Africa to escape prosecution related to charges filed in the Southern District of Florida (which have since been dismissed). An official source confirmed that no drugs were found. Weve always conducted our business in a legal manner., Wingate-Pearses lawyer said: At no time was [Wingate-Pearse] ever involved in the smuggling of drugs or involved in any other operation involving drugs.. But Yester-Garrido referred to these cocaine-related allegations as fact in. Both sources confirmed that Wingate-Pearse had fallen out with Agliotti by 2002. "I crossed the yard and pushed the door and there was a gregarious, larger-than-life, charismatic lunatic. It is used integrate the sharing features of this social media. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. In October 2017, Yester-Garrido himself was indicted on drug and gun charges. These, the source claimed, contained concealed drugs, though he had not seen them himself. "A narc, a DEA agent I knew, called me and said, 'There is this true crime caper of a lifetime, one of the best I've heard in my career -- there's a crazy Russian gangster named Tarzan who once sold a submarine to a Colombian drug cartel. Claims were also aired at the time that he was a KGB-schooled intelligence agent, trained to fly MIG fighter jets: a real James Bond, is how one friend describes him. He first tied the knot with Martha Matthews in 1952 and later got divorced in 1962. But when a DEA agent told Tiller Russell that it was one of the best stories he'd ever heard in his career, Russell knew he had to take his chances. He would find the allegations laughable if they werent so serious. Legal authorities said a large quantity of smuggled second-hand clothes and R1-million in cash had been found. Yester-Garrido faced his fair share of legal problems in South Africa in 2002 he was arrested because the US wanted him extradited, but this did not happen. This cookie is used to set a unique ID to the visitors, which allow third party advertisers to target the visitors with relevant advertisement up to 1 year. Not all products are eligible. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. This cookie is set by the Bidswitch. Almeida and Cassara had travelled to South Africa in December 2014 to meet with Yester-Garrido and seek his assistance with the drug debt after $250,000 worth of high-grade marijuana was stolen from co-conspirators.. However, they all tend to support the view that Agliotti, Selebis friend, was a significant player in the drugs business and that senior officers at police headquarters knew this. Cassara testified during the sentencing hearing that he had made $25 million dollars from trafficking in marijuana and that he had supplied firearms to assist in the collection of the drug debt. that, according to evidence the US had against him, he allegedly operated his drug-smuggling network from South Africa from about 1997 to at least February 2016. Yester-Garridos specific role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy was to assist, from South Africa, in trying to collect a $250,000 debt that was owed to co-conspirators by a Dominican drug-trafficking group. This may get into spoiler territory, but I have to ask, how the fuck did you find Nelson Yester? Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. March 3, 2023 by trends. "I jumped on a plane to Panama with $10,000 taped to my legs knowing I'd have to peel off bribes to get into this prison," explains Russell. MWP has never been involved in any drug dealing and therefore there was never a need to be warned about any searches or roadblocks or investigations, et cetera. They called to my wife to run to the door. 400 North Tampa Street
Russell started chasing the story when he got a tip seven years ago. Morris j. D. Klander pm. The story of Cuban fugitive Nelson Pablo Yester-Garrido has all the elements of a spy thriller, including spies, submarines, fast cars, Russian mobsters, arrests, escapes and a strip club. She was a makeup artist for the 1986 movie. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney E. Jackson Boggs, Jr. ampa, Florida U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew has sentenced Martin Felder, Jr. (43, Orlando) to 12 years in federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine Tampa, Florida U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle has sentenced Raequin Smith (27, Tampa) to six years and three months in federal prison for possession with the intent to Tampa, Florida United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Marcus Jamar Fowler (32, Tarpon Springs) a/k/a Drastic, and Abelardo Torres (36, Tampa) with Middle District of Florida
The main purpose of this cookie is targeting, advertesing and effective marketing. This cookie helps to categorise the users interest and to create profiles in terms of resales of targeted marketing. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. This cookie is set by Addthis. William Nelson Hayes, age 78, died peacefully on June 13, 2021. More on the M&G podcast from Monday July 2 at www.mg.co.za/podcast. WebHe was married twice. The cookie is set by CloudFlare service to store a unique ID to identify a returning users device which then is used for targeted advertising. "I now understand a lot more than I did," Nelson said of his fourth marriage to Parade. This cookie is used for measuring the efficiency of advertisement by registering data on visitors from multiple website. The data collected is used for analysis. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Go figure. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". The purpose of the cookie is not known yet. thatll be a good lesson for you, especially as we crawl through our current crisis. Used to track the information of the embedded YouTube videos on a website. WebMontreal (Qubec) :James N. Greenshields,1892-1896. Nelson is a tenured Advisor and one of Sun Lifes Top Sales Manager, 2 time Million Dollar Round Table Member and a consistent Triple A Field Manager in Sun Life. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. Yester-Garrido denies any intelligence background. This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. The purpose of the cookie is to determine if the user's browser supports cookies. However, one confirmed Agliotti had done customs clearing for Wingate-Pearse. here. It allows the online transaction without storing the credit card information.This service is provided by Stripe.com. Agliotti now stands accused of using his mastery of the import-export game to subvert customs procedures and to facilitate the smuggling of drugs and contraband cigarettes. However, a senior police source denied Stemmets involvement. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Russell says the most surprising thing he learned from filming the documentary is the close camaraderie the three have -- even after Yester fleeced the Pablo Yester-Garrido lives in Sandton with his Italian girlfriend and their child he moves in the same circles as a number of prominent underworld figures. Or for more information about becoming a subscriber, you can read our subscription and contribution overview, You can also freely access - without a subscription - hundreds of today's top Africa stories and thousands of recent news articles from our home page , Already a subscriber? Last year, Agliotti was charged with the murder of mining magnate Brett Kebble and, separately, for alleged involvement in a scheme to smuggle hashish and marijuana worth R200-million. South African police have confirmed his arrest. This cookie is set by linkedIn. Russell even warned Fainberg, Almeida and Yester that the three could get in trouble from speaking on camera. Yester-Garrido was arrested in October 2017 by Italian authorities on a provisional arrest request at the Fiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy. It is no secret that Agliotti acted as a police informer in the past. The cookie is used to give a unique number to visitors, and collects data on user behaviour like what page have been visited. In October 2017, Yester-Garrido, who went by several names including Antonio Lamas, was arrested in Rome and was extradited to the US two years later where he faced charges of conspiracy to distribute marijuana in Florida. Justice does come; It crawls; think of the unending patience needed to accomplish this. Russell's journey ended up taking seven years, but eventually the filmmaker was able to tell the story of how three hustlers schemed to sell a Soviet submarine to a Colombian drug cartel for $35 million in "Operation Odessa." He did not plead guilty to a firearm-related charge. Russell, who is barely present in "Operation Odessa," says he's open to telling his story about making the film one day. The cookie is set by CasaleMedia. A source travelled to Johannesburg that month to meet Yester-Garrido and, according to US court papers, conversations between them were recorded. "At the time, I was so entranced and riveted by the story and dying to hear what happened next and what really happened that I was chasing it to the end of the Earth because I knew it was one of the great true crime capers of the past 25 years.". What do you mean?' Russell says he had to sprint across a yard full of convicts in order to get to Tarzan's cell. Available Gifts. Around 1997, Yester-Garrido fled to South Africa to escape prosecution related to charges that had been filed in the Southern District of Florida (which have since been dismissed). By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. A locked padlock Earlier this year, it was claimed that prosecutors in the Eastern Cape were paid off with a briefcase full of cash to withdraw drug dealing charges against him. Yester-Garrido pleaded guilty to a charge of falsely representing himself as a US citizen, but absconded before completing his sentence. Linkedin - Used to track visitors on multiple websites, in order to present relevant advertisement based on the visitor's preferences. Click here to see other benefits and to sign-up to our reader community supporting quality, independent journalism. says Russell. For the documentary, Russell talked to Fainberg, Almeida and several DEA agents involved in the case, but was told by all parties that "never in a million years" would Yester, who was on the run from both other criminals and authorities, speak to him. Regarding the allegations that Yester-Garrido was involved in drug smuggling in the US, MWP had no knowledge of this. The cookie is set by pubmatic.com for identifying the visitors' website or device from which they visit PubMatic's partners' website. The cookie is used by cdn services like CloudFlare to identify individual clients behind a shared IP address and apply security settings on a per-client basis. Taljaard also made a later affidavit, which Sars used in obtaining warrants for the raids on the Wingate-Pearses and Mazzottis, the M&G has established. The cartel wanted the submarine to transport drugs to the U.S. and Canada. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. This cookie tracks the advertisement report which helps us to improve the marketing activity. for the purpose of better understanding user preferences for targeted advertisments. This cookie is native to PHP applications. A close examination of the movie revealed parts of words uth and Afri on a Boeing 747 parked further in the background. These cookies can only be read from the domain that it is set on so it will not track any data while browsing through another sites. Ricky Nelson's Wife Kristin Struggled with Addiction & Once Had Legal Battle with Mark Harmon. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. D'Angelo joined the family on Sept. 16, 1991. We encourage different, respectful viewpoints to further our understanding of the world. They were the characters who literally tried to sell a nuclear submarine to a Colombian drug cartel. Instead we ask our readers who can afford to contribute, even a small amount each month, to do so. Because in the film itself everyone tells you it will be impossible to talk to him. The Mail & Guardian has identified a notorious international fugitive as part of Glenn Agliottis former circle of intimates adding a new twist to the probe of Agliottis relationship with police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi. It is true that there is an investigation by Sars into the financial affairs of Wingate-Pearse, Mazzotti and others, which relates to tax issues. (LogOut/ MWP was aware that Agliotti was a police informer but did not consider the possibility that this may have led to any investigations. Affidavits attached to the request outline the story as seen by Florida prosecutors and federal law enforcement agents in the US, where he has been convicted of passing himself off as an American citizen, as well as being indicted on charges that from the late 1980s through early 1997 [he] was part of a group of individuals involved in importing cocaine into the US and transporting it to various locations. Alex Murdaugh killed wife, son to buy time, prosecutor says. William Nelson Hayes, age 78, died peacefully on June 13, 2021. Therons claims did not seem to amount to anything. The US previously alleged that Nelson Yester-Garrido was involved with high-level cocaine dealing from the 1980s until 1997 when he fled to South Africa and WebThe MFQ split up in 1966, and Yester began work as a solo artist and as a producer, with his wife Judy Henske, his brother Jim's band the Association, [2] The Turtles, and Tim Buckley, for whom he produced Goodbye and Hello and Happy Sad.