Latin Singer Ayala Caught Up In Organised Crime Scandal
By WENNFriday, December 18, 2009
An attorney for Latin Grammy winner RAMON AYALA has dismissed allegations the singer has links to organised crime gangs after he was arrested following a private concert in Mexico.
The star and his band Los Bravos del Norte found themselves caught up in a police raid on a venue in Mexico City last Friday (11Dec09), when they had been hired to perform in a wealthy gated community in the capital.
The gig came to an abrupt end when cops stormed the venue and a shoot-out ensued. Three gunmen were killed and 11 people thought to be connected to the Beltran Leyva drug cartel were arrested.
Ayala, who lives in Hidalgo, Texas, was released from jail earlier this week (15Dec09) due to lack of evidence. However, he could still face charges of organised crime and money laundering, according to his lawyer Adolfo Vega Elizondo.
But Elizondo insists his client is innocent and had no idea members of their audience were suspected members of the cartel.
He tells the Associated Press, “They have never in any moment belonged to organised crime. They were offering their services as singers, as artists.”
The arrest caused Ayala to miss his annual Christmas festival in Hidalgo on Wednesday (16Dec09), which went ahead in his absence.
