Spa In Pagosa Springs Tied To International Drug Investigation
PAGOSA SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) - Federal authorities are looking into the possibility a popular Colorado resort is part of an international drug operation.
The Springs Resort and Spa in Pagosa Springs is part of an investigation involving a company in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The resort is owned by the daughters of Bill Whittington and his brother, Don Whittington, who, according to court documents obtained by the Durango Herald, are currently being investigated for possibly laundering drug money through the well-known spa.
Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security agents were seen swarming Don Whittington's company World Jet in Fort Lauderdale Monday morning. The company is a full service aircraft sales and charter flight operation at the center of a yearlong investigation.
According to the affidavit, federal authorities believe Don Whittington was leasing his planes to drug trafficking organizations in South America and Mexico. According to the same documents, they believe Don Whittington may have been laundering the money made from those transactions through the Pagosa Springs spa.
CBS in Miami tried reaching out to Don Whittington at an address listed in his name in Fort Lauderdale but nobody was home.
A lawyer for the spa and its owners has denied all allegations and so far nobody has been accused of any crime, it is simply an investigation.
