Fernando Zevallos

Fernando Melciades Zevallos González, also known as Fernando Melciades Zevallos Gonzáles, is the founder and owner of what was Peru's largest airline, Aero Continente. The airline operated from 1992 until 2004, but was forced to close that year after Mr Zevallos was added to America's list of drug kingpins and was Aero Continente placed on a blacklist of companies with links to drug traffickers. The moves prevented American companies from doing business with the airline. This meant that Aero Continente could neither buy spare parts for its US-built planes nor insure them. It quickly collapsed.

Zevallos was born on July 8, 1957 in Mariscal Cáceres Province, San Martín Region, Perú. He graduated from the Peruvian Air Force Academy, becoming a pilot. In 1976 and following his father's death, he retired from the Air Force to look after his father's estate. He had inherited a considerable amount of money.

In 1978, the Peruvian government began a campaign of tax incentives for companies that invested in the Peruvian jungle. The Zevallos family decided to incorporate an air taxi company called TAUSA, with the aim of offering aerial services to the villages of the Peruvian jungle which were not served by suitable terrestrial transport. The company was not successful and Zevallos emigrated to the United States.

During this period, he founded a new company, Aero Continente. At the end of 1994, he settled in the USA permanently, prompting him to give up his shares of the company. He quit the board of Aero Continente in January 1995, later becoming an advisor.

Aero Continente grew to become one of Peru's leading airlines. But on the eve of 2004's Copa America in Peru, Aero Continente was grounded. Persistent allegations of money-laundering and drug-trafficking had dogged the company for years. At this point, the US authorities added Zavallos to their list of drug kingpins. Unable to secure insurance for his fleet, Aero Continente was grounded.

Fernando Zevallos has been the subject of more than 30 investigations according to the US Drug Enforcement Administration, although none of these have secured any convictions. In fact, not one single investigation provided enough evidence to even charge Fernando Zevallos of any crime. On 2004 he was put on the US's list of drug kingpins under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, labeling him one of the top drug-traffickers in the world. Terry Parham, director of the US Drug Enforcement Administration's Lima office, went on record as describing Zevallos as the "Al Capone of Perú".

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