Tetro became successful and wealthy, owning a tri-level condominium, a Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit, two Ferraris (in addition to his replica) and a Lamborghini Countach. He gambled in Monte Carlo and frequently traveled to Paris and Rome. With no visible source of income, local police and residents assumed he was a drug dealer and his car was frequently searched. Tetro denied being a drug dealer, but the more he defended himself, the less he was believed. Not until his arrest was this rumor disproved, a kind of relief for Tetro, who was proud he would finally be acknowledged as an artist.