Walter Finch
A GLAMOROUS woman known in police circles as ‘the model’ is facing ten years in jail for running a sprawling cocaine empire from her Marbella mansion.
Maria Teresa Jaimes Caicedo, whose 25-year trafficking network came crashing down as the Olive Press revealed in November 2022, traded in ‘Rolls-Royce’ branded blow.
Prosecutors are demanding eight years in jail for cocaine trafficking plus two years for belonging to a criminal organisation – with a €200,000 fine thrown on top.
Her criminal empire spanned from the Costa del Sol and the Costa Blanca in Spain to Denmark and Poland and Colombia.
Until the Colombian native’s arrest, she was leading a life of luxury, with no discernible income.
Police who raided her sprawling mansion complex were astonished at its opulence, boasting two swimming pools, a tennis court and ‘a garden that resembles the rainforest’.
Her downfall was the brick of branded 80%-pure cocaine they found in a walk-in wardrobe, already opened for guests to enjoy.
Police sources described her to this newspaper as ‘a real black widow’ for the fact that she had already seen two previous husbands put behind bars for smuggling.
Yet she herself managed to continue the family business and go under the radar for so many years.
A policeman from Greco, part of the National Police’s Udyco organised crime and drug unit, revealed how his colleagues were ‘amazed’ when they started investigating her VIP lifestyle.
Her house – ordinary-looking from the streets – was described as ‘like a city’ inside.
“I’ve seen many homes of criminals, but this was something else,” he told the Olive Press at the time.
“She was supporting around 10 people, including her mum and four children and she had a daily fitness trainer and also went to crossfit classes.
“If she needed a plane ticket, someone got it. A hotel, it was always five stars, a restaurant, always the best. A boat, her friends had them. The cars, always changing, but nothing too flash. Think BMW or Audi.”
He continued that the €3m villa in central Marbella was ‘like a fortress’ with numerous CCTV cameras, high walls and incredible security.
“She actually slept in her own panic room bedroom, which was only reached via a false door from a library.”
He added it could only be accessed by pushing a button that, like a Hollywood movie, opened to a staircase up to Maria Teresa’s suite.
The suite itself featured an elevated marble jacuzzi, supported by marble columns, while a giant mirror was placed on the ceiling above the bed.
Inside a giant walk-in wardrobe amid racks of Prada shoes, Dsquared2 jackets and Gucci bags was a packet of cocaine that gave everything away.
