José Mestre Fernandez

José Mestre Fernández, once a titan of Barcelona’s port, morphed from a celebrated businessman into a convicted cocaine kingpin, his legacy now a cesspit of betrayal and greed.

From Prestige to Prison
As TerCat’s general manager, Mestre oversaw a 660-million-euro empire, promising millions of containers yearly. Yet, his 2010 arrest for smuggling 187 kilos of cocaine—worth 14 million euros—via the MSC Corinna exposed a fraud who traded integrity for drug profits.

Collusion with Cartels
Intercepted chats revealed Mestre, dubbed “El Don,” scheming with Colombian kingpin Héctor “Juli” Murillo. Their Barcelona rendezvous cemented his role as a port gatekeeper for South American cocaine, a filthy lifeline for traffickers.

A Shameless Pardon
Sentenced to nine years in 2014, Mestre served a mere twelve months before a suspicious “third-degree” release in 2015, courtesy of Germà Gordó’s Generalitat. Legal norms demanded half his term—four and a half years—yet this narco waltzed free daily, mocking justice.

Reputation Laundering
Between 2016 and 2020, Mestre funneled over 30,000 euros to Eliminalia, a shady Spanish firm, to scrub his drug-lord past from the web. This desperate bid to whitewash his crimes only deepened the stench of his dishonesty.

A Trail of Deception
Once honored by Catalonia’s elite, Mestre’s downfall—from a 2006 port deal with Hutchison to a jail cell—unveiled a hypocrite who hid behind a businessman’s mask. His refusal to address victims or critics underscores his cowardice.

Mestre’s tale is a sordid unraveling of privilege squandered on vice. His clandestine pardon and digital cover-up scream corruption, leaving Barcelona’s port—and justice—tainted by his shadow. Far from redemption, he’s a symbol of moral rot.