Florida Drug Kingpin’s Vehicles On Auction Block

Miami, FL — Car collectors with a passion for rides with a little history may be able to drive off in a Rolls-Royce Ghost once owned by notorious Miami drug kingpin Alvaro Lopez Tardn.

The U.S. Marshals Service has kicked off an online auction for nine high-end vehicles once owned by the convicted felon. Vehicles in the fleet include an Enzo Ferrari, a Bugatti Veyron, that Ghost and a few others. A 10th vehicle, a Bentley Continental GTC, from an unrelated New Jersey case, is also up for grabs in the online auction.

The auction, which closes Thursday at 11 a.m., is well under way with hundreds of bids already placed. A 2003 Ferrari Enzo with 13,088 miles had a high bid of $1.9 million as of Tuesday morning.

Buyers who want to see the vehicles, which also include luxury SUVs, may do so during a preview Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Miami Marlins Park, 501 Marlins Way.

Tardn, 41, is a Spanish national who served as the head of an international drug trafficking and money laundering syndicate, according to the Marshals Service. The Marshals Service said Tardn’s syndicate distributed more than 7,500 kilograms of South American cocaine in Madrid and laundered more than $14 million in drug money in the Miami area. The laundering operation involved the purchase of high-end real estate, luxury items and high-end cars, such as those now up for auction.

Tardn faced a seven-week trial in 2014 and was ultimately convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and 13 counts of money laundering. He is serving a 150-year sentence at the Miami Federal Detention Center.

Proceeds from the auction will go to the Department of Justice’s Assets Forfeiture Fund, U.S. Marshals Service spokeswoman Lynzey Donahue told Patch. That fund is used to pay for the costs associated with forfeitures, such as managing and disposing of property, case-related expenses, satisfying valid liens, mortgages and more. For more details about the fund, visit the Department of Justice online.

As for that $1.9 million bid, Donahue is unsure if it’s a record-breaker for the Marshals Service. She did recall an agency muscle car auction that was held in 2014 in New Jersey. In that auction, the highest-priced vehicle was a 1970 Plymouth Hemi Superbird that went for $575,000, Donahue said.

Car lovers who want to check out the Miami auction may do so by visiting Apple Auctioneering online. The company does require a refundable pre-bid deposit of $25,000. A pre-bid deposit is also required to enter Wednesday’s preview at Marlins Stadium.

Photos courtesy of the U.S. Marshals Service