CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan prosecutors have accused weightlifter Leonel Albarran of involvement in drug trafficking.
The Prosecutor General’s Office says the 29-year-old has been accused of conspiracy and financing drug trafficking.
Prosecutors said in a statement on Thursday that Albarran had links to a ring that smuggled cocaine from Venezuela to Italy.
The authorities say Albarran was arrested in Caracas in January, just days after he returned home from a trip to Italy.
Albarran made that trip with fellow weightlifter Israel Rubio, and fled when Rubio was arrested in Pescara, Italy, on Jan. 25, after a seizure of at least 4.4 pounds of cocaine.
Rubio won a bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics. He is jailed in Italy.
Your tax-deductible donation to The Columbian’s Community Funded Journalism program will contribute to better local reporting on key issues, including homelessness, housing, transportation and the environment. Reporters will focus on narrative, investigative and data-driven storytelling.
Local journalism needs your help. It’s an essential part of a healthy community and a healthy democracy.
