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Remember the story in the Reporter from July 2002 that began: "Turns out most of the men never trusted him. The women, on the other hand, fell like dominoes. Most, though not all, onto their backs--one after the other, it seems, and sometimes virtually on top of each other. If women and men talked--really talked--to each other, a 20-year-old English tourist might not be out $6,000."
We printed two sequels, each describing how "Don Juan" became bolder and bolder, each time making a clean getaway aboard his yacht. Well, he's finally been caught. Louise Wolman reports.
Dateline: Los Cabos, Mexico
Yes, it's true. Don Juan has been done in. And I'm quite amazed that I not only pointed the first finger at him but also had a significant hand in his capture.
Imagine my surprise when, on Sunday, May 11, I opened an e-mail from John Dudley, the private investigator working on behalf of the Panamanian victims, which read:
"I am pleased to announce that, thanks to the very precious information you provided, Ignacio Miro was detained and put under investigation by the Mexican Federal Authorities in Los Cabos, Baja California, Mexico…That guy gave sailors a bad name and deserves to be put aside for a while...Again many thanks for your help in the matter."
The arrest came as a direct result of information I'd passed on to him from a cruiser named Tammy, who contacted me last month, after Blue Water Sailing published my "Scam, Bam, Thank-You Ma'am." She'd read the story.
Tammy seemed to be another of Nacho Miro's playmates. After congratulating me on such a faithful representation of the dashing Spanish playboy, she shared a few details of her own. Tammy met Nacho in Puerto Angel and spent some time sailing with him on the yacht Don Juan. She wasn't taken for any money, she said. But she'd definitely gotten a kick out of his famous line of patter and, presumably, at least a bang or two out of him. She mentioned that he'd recently been near Puerto Vallarta.
Not exactly the South Pacific, where I knew Dudley had his eyes trained. Logistically Mexico would have been a much easier, less complicated place for Don Juan to continue his exploits and exploitations. Not only does he speak Spanish better than Fatu Hiva, but the Club Meds in Ixtapa and Puerto Vallarta would have furnished prime hunting grounds for him.
I emailed this new lead to Dudley. Clearly, he jumped right on it.
I congratulated John on his own results. Then I thought about "Noelle," the young Londoner who Nacho smooth-talked out of $6,000 back in Bonaire. She'd indicated that she would be thrilled to add to the prosecution's case when she wrote me several weeks ago, "Will you keep one thing in mind for me; if anyone presses charges, ANYONE, I really do want to have my say and will fly out for the pleasure of it. So, if you hear anything about anyone, please let me know!"
I emailed her the good news and dashed off a similar note to Raul, the yacht captain/friend who Ignacio took for 6,000 Euros. Raul answered he, too would fly wherever to help prosecute this snake, who "never should have been born."
The latest news is that an Agent of the Ministerio Publico Federal de Cabo San Lucas, Baja California, Mexico, called Licenciado Carlos Saul Manriquez Lizardi, is in charge of the case and is doing all the investigation in regards to Ignacio Miro's case. The victims can contact that agent at tel. 52-624-143-12-10 and refer to case number is 072/03 del 8 de mayo del 2003. Apparently, Miro was detained a couple of days only; but unfortunately has been released. However the sailboat Don Juan has been seized by the authorities pending further investigations.
"Now we just have to hope he doesn't get a female judge!" says Gary.
It seems first we have to hope he comes before a judge at all. News from Mexico is that Don Juan was indeed seized by the authorities but Nacho was in jail only a few days. L.W.
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