Former MLB Stars Octavio Dotel and Luis Castillo Arrested in ‘Largest Operation Against Organized Crime’ in History of Dominican Republic

Octavio Dotel spent 15 years in Major League Baseball, pitching for a 13 different teams, which was a record at the time. He has been out of the game since 2013 and had since disappeared from the public eye. Unfortunately for the former Houston Astros star, he made headlines once again on Tuesday for all of the wrong reasons.

According to Marly Rivera of ESPN, Dotel was arrested in the Dominican Republic as part of what has been described by authorities as the “largest operation against organized crime” in the country.

Another former MLB star, Luis Castillo, was also arrested as part of the operation. According to reports by Dominican Today, Dotel was transported under heightened security to jail at the Ciudad Nueva courthouse. Additionally, four cars belonging to the pitcher were seized.

At this point in time, the specific charges against both Dotel and Castillo have not been revealed, but they were linked to a drug trafficking and money laundering network led by César Emilio Peralta, who has the nickname of César the Abuser. What is known is that the police raided a building known as Naco Blue Tower, where former Red Sox star David Ortiz and Peralta both own apartments, and arrested more than a dozen people. Peralta was not among those arrested during the raids.

In addition, Attorney General Jean Alain Rodríguez revealed during a press conference that Peralta was in charge of a drug trafficking and money laundering ring that fed drugs from the Dominican Republic to the U.S. He was known for using baseball players to move the illicit substances between the two countries.

Dotel originally made his MLB debut in June 1999 with the New York Mets. He would only spend one season with the team before heading to Houston. During this career, Dotel achieved a win-loss record of 59-50, and he won the 2011 World Series as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Like Dotel, Castillo spent 15 years in MLB. The second baseman was best known for his time with the then-Florida Marlins due to being named All-Star three separate times (2002, 2003, 2005) and winning the World Series in 2003. Castillo also was awarded the Gold Glove Award three different times.