SPANISH superstar Julio Iglesias was ‘almost arrested’ last week after falling foul of the Dominican Republic’s stringent import rules.
The ‘King of Latin’, now 80, was detained by authorities at Punta Cana International Airport after arriving on a private flight from the Bahamas last Wednesday, January 10.
Airport officials made the move after discovering an astonishing 42 kilograms of food stuffed into Iglesias’ luggage, according to the popular Spanish weekend TV show Fiesta.
Iglesias, widely considered to be the best selling male Latin artist of all time, had his luggage seized after officials discovered vast quantities of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, tomatoes, celery, beans, spinach, lettuce, mushrooms and meat.
Rosa Lazala, speaking on behalf of the Dominican Republic’s Department of Communications and Agriculture, explained that officials carry out the surveillance and inspection of all luggage entering or leaving the country.
These controls are applied stringently, Lazala added, in order to ensure no product enters the country that puts national production at risk.
Makoke, a guest on last Sunday’s edition of Fiesta, and who is widely believed to have had an affair with Iglesias, explained that she used to transport food for the singer of famous hits such as Me Olvide de Vivir.
‘Sometimes I would bring him seafood from Galicia as he was Galician himself and loved it’, Makoke commented.
Iglesias was born in Madrid but his father hailed from Galicia in the north, while his mother was from Andalucia.
The father of eight, including pop star Enrique, has lived a quiet life since retiring – he is reported to split his time between The Bahamas and Punta Cana, where he lives with his 58-year old Dutch wife, Miranda Rijnsburger.
Recent reports in American media have suggested that the 80-year-old’s health is deteriorating, with sources indicating that the legendary entertainer is suffering from mobility issues and memory loss.
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