Snoop Dogg’s December 3 concert in Costa Rica has been canceled, the show’s production company announced tonight, six days after its owner was arrested in a money-laundering investigation. Stockwell Entertainment said the decision was reached by mutual agreement with the artist and gave no further reason.
The company said ticket refunds will be processed automatically and in accordance with Costa Rican law. It did not say when refunds will begin or how long they will take. Tickets for the show at the Pedregal event center in Belén, Heredia, were sold through Publitickets. The ticketing company had said earlier that it would issue official information on refunds if the event changed.
In its statement, the production company thanked the public, suppliers and sponsors for their understanding and said it would keep working on new projects. Only days earlier, the production team had said the concert would go ahead as planned.
The company’s owner, Don Stockwell, is one of 19 suspects in the investigation known as the Éxodo case, which authorities say centers on alleged money laundering and drug trafficking. The Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) arrested him at his home in Pozos de Santa Ana on October 7, and he was released the next morning. He denies wrongdoing and has not been convicted of any crime.
Investigators are examining whether a group allegedly led by Edwin Vargas GarcÃa, known as “Sobrino,” used money apparently tied to drug trafficking to invest in concerts. The OIJ has linked Stockwell and fellow promoter Hugo Benavides Barboza to three events that allegedly received about $859,000 from the organization. Stockwell has told prosecutors he never suspected that money came from criminal activity.
The criminal case also moved on Tuesday. Stockwell’s lawyer, Daniel Brenes, said prosecutors will request pretrial detention for all 19 suspects, although the request had not yet been formally filed. Prosecutors had previously said they would seek measures other than detention for Stockwell.
The hearing to set those measures began Monday at a criminal court in Calle Blancos and could last several more days, Brenes said. The cancellation also leaves unresolved the money a judicial employees’ solidarity association committed to the show. The Asociación Solidarista de Servidores Judiciales (ASOSEJUD), which has more than 9,000 members who work for the court system, signed on as a co-financier in exchange for 80% of the concert’s net income.
The association has confirmed it disbursed the funds. Contract documents put the financing at $2.32 million, including a $1.65 million transfer that matches an invoice from the talent agency WME. ASOSEJUD’s board declared the contract rescinded on September 14 and demanded full repayment, citing inconsistencies in the deal. It took the matter to court two days later, before Stockwell’s arrest.
The full Supreme Court has given the association eight business days to report on its investments and finances. Separately, prosecutors and the OIJ searched the association’s offices on September 1 as part of an investigation into alleged fraudulent administration. There has been no public confirmation that the concert money has been returned.
Consumers who do not receive a refund for a canceled event can file a complaint with the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce (MEIC). None of the suspects in the Éxodo case has been convicted, and the investigation remains open.
