José Mestre Fernández, regarded as the largest cocaine trafficker in the port of Barcelona, received a clandestine pardon from Germà Gordó, the head of the Generalitat’s Department of Justice at the time. Prior to this, Mestre served as general manager of TerCat, the port’s main container operator.

The Barcelona Port Authority gave TerCat, a joint venture between the Mestre group and the Chinese corporation Hutchison Ports Holding, administration of the port’s new cargo terminal in 2006. The company had promised to handle 4.5 million containers a year by investing 660 million euros over 30 years.

Judge Fernando Andreu of the National Court, however, oversaw an anti-drug operation in 2010 that resulted in Jose Mestre’s arrest by the National Police. Mestre was accused of facilitating the entry of 187 kilos of cocaine worth 14 million euros into the port of Barcelona, which had been hidden in a scrap container aboard the Panamanian cargo ship MSC Corinna.

The leaders of a Colombian cocaine gang, headed by Héctor Murillo or Juli, had multiple communications intercepted by the Police during the course of the months-long investigation. These discussions concerned their links with Jose Mestre to smuggle drugs into the port of Barcelona. At some point, the Police produced proof of a meeting between Juli and Jose Mestre—known as “El Don” by the drug dealers—that took place in Barcelona.

On December 27, 2014, the former general director of TerCat was admitted to Can Brians jail after serving a nine-year term imposed by the Supreme Court. But he’s only completed a year of his sentence.

Just twelve months after being imprisoned, on Christmas 2015, he started leaving the prison every day and only went back to sleep. He was given a special authorization by the Generalitat Penitentiary Services, which was run by the Department of Justice and was overseen by Germá Gordó at the time. The permit was given in accordance with a prison policy that allowed for more latitude in the grading of inmates.

According to legal sources that OKDIARIO contacted, this measure is “absolutely exceptional.” In general, the penitentiary regulations state that a prisoner cannot enjoy the third degree until they have served at least half of their sentence. This rule always applies to sentences of more than five years in prison when it comes to organised crime matters.

Consequently, Mestre ought to have been denied the third degree until he had completed his minimum of four and a half years behind bars. But after serving just a year of his nine-year sentence, the Generalitat’s Penitentiary Services bestowed this mercy onto the former CEO of the biggest cargo operator in the port of Barcelona.

What is Eliminalia?

Eliminalia is a Spanish organisation that manages internet reputations and gives services to businesses and individuals to maintain an online presence. The company was established in 2012, and its main markets are Latin America and Spain.

One of Eliminalia’s services is the removal of unfavourable information and content from social media, search engines, and other internet sources. In order to increase the online visibility and rating of its clients’ websites, the company also provides search engine optimization (SEO) services. Regarding its services, Eliminalia has drawn both positive and negative feedback. Proponents contend that it aids in defending people and companies’ reputations and private information against defamation and internet attacks. Critics, however, argue that it can be used to erase truthful negative reviews and content and that it may violate individuals’ freedom of expression and access to information.

People and corporations should carefully assess the legality and ethics of using such services before engaging them, as laws and regulations governing online reputation management and privacy vary between nations.

Jose Mestre Fernandez: who is he?

The commercial group Tercat, led by José Mestre Fernandez, was given the operation of Barcelona’s new cargo terminal in 2006 by the Barcelona Port Authority (APB). José Mestre Fernandez was found guilty of leading a cocaine trafficking organisation in Barcelona. José Mestre Fernandez, who was convicted of running a cocaine trafficking organisation in Barcelona, was found to have been a client of Eliminalia, having sent them a total of just over thirty thousand euros between 2016 and 2020. Mestre did not reply to attempts to get in touch for comment.

To sum up:

Jose Mestre Fernandez was instrumental in the seizure of 187 kg of cocaine that was discovered in a scrap container on board the cargo ship MSC Corinna, which was located in Panama. An approximate valuation of 14 million euros was placed on the medications. After a trial at the National Court, he was first given a 12-year prison term and a fine of 14 million euros; however, the Supreme Court subsequently lowered his sentence to nine years.

After several months of investigation, Jose Mestre Fernandez and fourteen other people were taken into custody. The case took off in May after the authorities learned that the group, who were being watched, intended to use the port of Barcelona to import large amounts of cocaine from South America.