Animal welfare expert retained in Gulf World's bankruptcy case
Former Dolphin Company CEO Eduardo Albor's counsel fired back on Monday with a preliminary statement claiming they are in compliance with the Mexican bankruptcy court of law. They say Albor and his personnel were present at the headquarters with state law enforcement, while the debtors used municipal police.
Gulf World bankruptcy trial sidetracked by armed stand off in Cancun
This all preceded the Tuesday morning emergency hearing in Delaware.
With court filings in both Mexico and Delaware, remaining in compliance with the law of both courts makes the Dolphin Company's case a bit trickier.
This creates a trickle down impact on the other entities involved in the case, including Gulf World Marine Park.
But despite the recent standoff at the Dolphin Company's headquarters in Cancun, all parties were present and ready to cooperate at Tuesday morning's hearing in Delaware.
'They had an entire boardroom full of all of the executives of the Dolphin Company that were appearing via Zoom. Plus, they had their Mexican counsel all present. So they were taking this matter very seriously. And they made a point to let the court know that Mr. Albor and the other board of directors respect the bankruptcy court's jurisdiction, and wanted to do everything they could to comply with the bankruptcy court order, so long as they didn't directly violate any of the orders they were issued by the Mexican courts,' Bankruptcy Attorney Michael Wynn, who's been following the case closely said.
The judge excused herself for a large part of the hearing so the parties could work things out informally.
Manhunt ends with arrest of murder suspect in Washington County
'The good news is, what that allowed the parties to be able to do was to negotiate some timelines on exchanging documents, exchanging information, and setting some loose discovery parameters so that they could take necessary depositions to get information out there in order to move this matter forward,' Wynn added.
One of the biggest takeaways from Tuesday's hearing is that the debtors' counsel has retained an animal welfare expert.
'They did indicate in court today that the animal welfare expert was already working with agencies to relocate some sea lions. It was unclear as to whether or not those were sea lions which were located here at Gulf World, or perhaps in Miami at the park there. But what they did make very clear is that they are taking the animal welfare seriously and are actively employing professionals to ensure that the animals are cared for,' said Wynn.
While Tuesday's hearing consisted heavily of negotiations during recess and outside of the presence of the judge, Wynn feels the May 5 hearing will be more definitive.
'I think it was important today that they disclose the animal welfare expert because that is the debtor's way of reviewing some of the things that they will likely talk about on May the fifth. For example, one of the things that they have to address on May the fifth, related to their financing motions and the requirements of the lender is they have to be able to discuss a risk mitigation and strategy for dealing with these animals in dealing with Gulf World Marine Park and other various parks that are run by the Dolphin Company and its subsidiaries,' Wynn added.
Wynn says by announcing the retention of an animal welfare expert, the debtors have displayed they are already in compliance with requirements that will most likely surface at the May 5 hearing.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Epoch Times
2 hours ago
- Epoch Times
Mexico Sets Minimum Tomato Export Prices Following End of US Trade Deal
Mexico has introduced minimum export prices for fresh tomatoes to protect its domestic supply following the expiration of a 2019 trade agreement with the United States. The U.S. government withdrew last month from the 2019 trade deal that had previously suspended the antidumping investigation into Mexican tomato imports.
Boston Globe
9 hours ago
- Boston Globe
These are drug cartels designated as terrorists by the US
Sinaloa Cartel Based in Sinaloa state, in western Mexico Founded more than 30 years ago by Joaquin Guzmán Loera, the drug lord known as El Chapo, and Ismael Zambada García, a boss known as El Mayo, the Sinaloa Cartel has long stood as one of the world's most formidable criminal syndicates. Coordinating an umbrella of criminal cells — not only from Sinaloa state but also from across Mexico, with partners, associates, and operatives around the world — the cartel has become a leading producer of fentanyl, the opioid that has had a devastating effect in the United States. Advertisement But after years evading capture, El Chapo is now serving a life sentence in the United States, and last year, one of his sons abducted Zambada, handing him to US authorities. That set off a war within the cartel — now taking place as the Mexican government, pushed by the Trump administration, is aggressively cracking down on the group. Advertisement Still, the cartel has found ways to adapt and continues to smuggle fentanyl and other drugs into the United States, illustrating how difficult it would be to uproot its network. Jalisco New Generation Cartel Based in Jalisco state, in western Mexico The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, long an archrival to the Sinaloa Cartel, now looks poised to become one of the world's largest drug traffickers through an alliance with a Sinaloa faction controlled by El Chapo's sons. The Jalisco cartel has entrenched itself in large parts of the illegal and legal sectors of Mexico's economy, profiting off not just drugs and weapons but also real estate, avocados, and timeshares. The group has a well-developed network across the Americas, with links into Australia, China, and Southeast Asia, according to the US State Department. Like its competitors, the gang has used brazen acts of violence to maintain control. The group is believed to be linked to the 2020 assassination of the former governor of the state of Jalisco, as well as a training and recruitment camp discovered in the state this year. Cartel del Noreste Based in Nuevo Leon state, in northeastern Mexico The Cartel del Noreste began as the Zetas, violent enforcers of another group. In the early 2000s, the Zetas gained prominence by using violence to send public messages, and by 2012 controlled large swaths of territory. Internal rivalries and the killing of its leader by the Mexican Marines in 2012 appeared to weaken the Zetas. But a splinter of the gang reemerged as Cartel del Noreste, which operated across both sides of the border, trafficking drugs, weapons, and migrants across the border for enormous profits. Advertisement Tren de Aragua Originated in Venezuela From a prison in a northern Venezuelan state, Tren de Aragua's network and influence has spread to other parts of Latin America, and the group has become known for exploiting vulnerable migrants through trafficking and kidnapping. The Biden administration labeled the gang a transnational criminal organization in 2024, and in the United States, people accused of affiliations with it have been charged with crimes such as shootings and human trafficking, mostly targeting members of the Venezuelan community. The Trump administration has made the gang a focus of its deportation efforts and rhetoric, which Venezuelan asylum-seekers say casts an atmosphere of suspicion and stigma over those fleeing violence and political repression. The group has been said to work with another organization, the Cartel de los Soles, that the Trump administration says has ties to Venezuela's president, Nicolás Maduro. However, experts say little is known about such a group, and Venezuela's defense minister dismissed it Friday as an 'invention' by the US government. MS-13 Linked to El Salvador MS-13 emerged on the streets of Los Angeles in the 1980s as a criminal network among immigrants from El Salvador and has shifted its power base to Central America. The group was the first criminal street gang designated as a transnational criminal organization by the US Treasury Department in 2012. It was among the gangs that created chaos and violence in El Salvador for many years, until President Nayib Bukele cracked down on criminal groups through a campaign of mass arrests starting in 2022. The group was a primary target of Trump during his first term, and officials in his second term have continued to prosecute cases. But Bukele has also helped Trump's deportation efforts, for which the United States has paid El Salvador millions of dollars, adding an important sweetener at Bukele's request: the return of key MS-13 leaders in US custody. Advertisement US prosecutors have amassed substantial evidence of a corrupt pact between the Salvadoran government and some high-ranking MS-13 leaders, who they say agreed to drive down violence and bolster Bukele politically. Bukele has denied the existence of such a pact. Gulf Cartel Based in Tamaulipas state, in northern Mexico One of the oldest criminal organizations in Mexico, the gang for years made much of its money and reputation from smuggling cocaine and marijuana across the US border. In the early 2000s, it was one of three main groups behind Mexico's gang wars. Fighting between the Gulf Cartel and their onetime enforcers, the Zetas, turned parts of the region into a battle zone, sending thousands fleeing. In 2012, Mexico celebrated the arrest of the gang's top leader, but his detention, and that of other Gulf Cartel members, created a vacuum that was quickly filled by other leaders. La Nueva Familia Michoacana Based in Michoacán state, in western Mexico La Nueva Familia Michoacana rapidly rose to power in Mexico's crowded drug wars. In their home state of Michoacán, the group made much of its money through kidnapping and extortion. As their control spread, they employed bloodier tactics to enforce their power, sometimes attaching notes to the bodies of beheaded victims. Last year, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the group's leaders as part of an operation to target fentanyl trafficking in the United States. In April, US prosecutors charged senior members of the gang with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Advertisement This article originally appeared in
Politico
11 hours ago
- Politico
Mexican authorities accuse Adidas of cultural appropriation in sandal design
For Viridiana Jarquín García, a huaraches creator and vendor in Oaxaca's capital, the Adidas shoes were a 'cheap copy' of the kind of work that Mexican artists take time and care to craft. 'The artistry is being lost. We're losing our tradition,' she said in front of her small booth of leather shoes. Authorities in Oaxaca have called for the 'Oaxaca Slip-On' to be withdrawn and demanded a public apology from Adidas, with officials describing the design as 'cultural appropriation' that may violate Mexican law. In a public letter to Adidas leadership, Oaxaca state Gov. Salomón Jara Cruz criticized the company's design, saying that 'creative inspiration' is not a valid justification for using cultural expressions that 'provide identity to communities.' 'Culture isn't sold, it's respected,' he added. Adidas responded in a letter Friday afternoon, saying that the company 'deeply values the cultural wealth of Mexico's Indigenous people and recognizes the relevance' of the criticisms. It requested to sit down with local officials and to discuss how it can 'repair the damage' to Indigenous populations. The controversy follows years of efforts by Mexico's government and artisans to push back on major global clothing brands who they say copy traditional designs. In 2021, the federal government asked manufacturers including Zara, Anthropologie and Patowl to provide a public explanation for why they copied clothing designs from Oaxaca's Indigenous communities to sell in their stores. Now, Mexican authorities say they're trying to work out stricter regulations in an effort to protect artists. But Marina Núñez, Mexico's undersecretary of cultural development, noted that they also want to establish guidelines to not deprive artists of 'the opportunity to trade or collaborate with several of these companies that have very broad commercial reach.'
