HomeNewsAnalysisNicaragua Arrests Man at Center of Facundo Cabral Murder
ANALYSIS

Nicaragua Arrests Man at Center of Facundo Cabral Murder

NICARAGUA / 30 MAR 2012 BY STEVEN DUDLEY EN

In a surprise move, Nicaragua's authorities detained nightclub owner Henry Fariñas -- the mysterious figure at the heart of the multi-country investigation of the assassination of Argentine folk singer Facundo Cabral last July -- when he arrived this week from Guatemala.

As El Nuevo Diario reports, Nicaraguan authorities linked Fariñas (shown in photograph) to investigations into "some illegal activities," but did not elaborate. Strangely, the director of the organized crime unit told the newspaper separately that he did not know of the arrest. Fariñas is not charged with a crime in any country.

Fariñas is the principal owner of the night club chain Elite, which operates in various parts of the region including Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. He was also part of a business team that brought Cabral to Nicaragua and possibly brought him to Guatemala to perform in what would be his last concert.

A group of Guatemalan assassins intercepted Fariñas, Cabral, Cabral's manager and soundman as they made their way to the airport in dawn hours of July 9.  Cabral was shot dead and Fariñas wounded. Fariñas' bodyguards shot back, wounding one hitman.

The investigation has since spanned at least four countries and involved investigators from six governments including the United States, Colombia, Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Guatemala.

Five Guatemalan hitmen were arrested. Colombian authorities captured the supposed mastermind of the plot, Costa Rican Alejandro Jimenez, alias "Palidejo," earlier this month, as he made his way along the northern coast of that country to meet with one of that country's most feared drug trafficking organizations, the Rastrojos. Jimenez was deported to Guatemala for trial but has claimed innocence and is under heavy guard.

[See InSight Crime's Rastrojos profile]

For his part, Fariñas recovered in a hospital under heavy guard. As the key witness in the case, he told Guatemalan investigators that Jimenez was angry that he refused to sell him the Costa Rican branch of Elite for an estimated $400,000.

No one has corroborated this story, and only one of the five Guatemalan assassins detained is collaborating but has limited knowledge of the motives behind the attack.

These motives are still in dispute and may never emerge. Nicaraguan authorities told InSight Crime late last year that they have no investigations open against Fariñas.

Fariñas also appears to have high level protection in his home country. When Guatemalans suggested that he was target for the attack that led to Cabral's death, Nicaragua's Supreme Court President Alba Luz Ramos came out in Fariñas' defense.

Senior police officer also reportedly frequent Fariñas' Elite night club. Fariñas' survival, however, may depend on his contacts with the ruling Sandinista party, but those contacts are not as apparent.

Jimenez's contacts with the Rastrojos also suggests that the dispute goes well beyond Fariñas' refusal to sell his club. Nicaraguan investigators told InSight Crime that they suspect "an illicit business" was at the heart of the case but refused to elaborate.

Costa Rican authorities had been investigating Jimenez for money laundering for months before the assassination attempt on Fariñas in Guatemala and told InSight Crime that they suspected Jimenez trafficked drugs as well but could not say if he was connected to Fariñas.

Finally, in a Plaza Publica report translated and published by InSight Crime this week, there is the possibility that the vendetta stretches north into the Sinaloa Cartel circles. According to the report, Jimenez transported Rastrojos' cocaine to the Sinaloa Cartel.

Finding the truth amidst this sea of groups and potential motives will be difficult unless the Nicaraguan authorities press Fariñas or Jimenez begins to talk to Guatemalan authorities. Neither appears likely at this point.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Tags

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

ELITES AND CRIME / 15 JUL 2021

In the process of expanding their influence, criminal groups often develop close ties with elites in an effort to gain…

EL SALVADOR / 30 DEC 2021

The United States, under the Biden administration, was supposed to help curb corruption, but for corrupt officials in Central America,…

CRIMINAL MIGRATION / 25 JUN 2021

Prosecutors in Honduras say they will ask Nicaragua to extradite an alleged MS13 leader who has been on the lam…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report continues to be a reference in the region

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Paraguay Election Coverage Draws Attention 

5 MAY 2023

InSight Crime looked at the various anti-organized crime policies proposed by the candidates in Paraguay’s presidential election, which was won on April 30 by Santiago Peña. Our pre-election coverage was cited…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Cited in OAS, CARICOM Reports

28 APR 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s work was cited nine times in a new report by the Organization of American States (OAS) titled “The Impact of Organized Crime on Women,…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Staff Cited as Experts by International Media

21 APR 2023

This week, InSight Crime deputy editor, Juan Diego Posada, was interviewed by the Associated Press about connections between the ex-FARC mafia and Brazilian criminal groups, and…