Gabriela Alexandra Fernández Ocando, former Miss Venezuela candidate and model, was arrested by Venezuelan authorities after she was linked with Colombian drug lord Daniel 'El Loco' Barrera’s criminal activities, according Spanish newswire service Efe.
A recent statement released by the Attorney General’s Office said the former Miss Venezuela contestant, two Colombian men and two Venezuelan women were being held by the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN in Spanish) for “money laundering and conspiracy.”
Venezuelan newspaper El Nacional reported that Fernández Ocando had been arrested by the National Guard on Sept. 30 while attempting to flee to the Andean state of Mérida. Several of Barrera’s many properties in Venezuela were also reportedly under the former beauty contestant’s care.
"It's important to note that these people have served as Daniel Barrera's partners, allegedly helping his movements across the nation as well as booking hotels for him so that the drug trafficker could evade authorities," Venezuelan prosecutors told Efe.
The Venezuelan model had represented Venezuelan State of Zulia in 2008, and is known for posing for Playboy magazine in 2010.
A multinational effort, which included the United States, resulted in Barrera’s arrest on Sept. 18. Earlier this year, the Colombian government had announced a $2.7 million reward for “El Loco” (The Madman).
"The last of the great capos has fallen," Colombian President Juan Manuel Santo told journalists in a press conference.
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