Sons of Caro Quintero accused of laundering 130 millions of pesos

Original article available at ZETA Translated by El Wachito

Since 2014 the PGR has been investigating companions and friends of the sons of Rafael Caro Quintero. The investigations have led to the discovery of more businesses involved in money laundering than those discovered by US authorities. According to a bank official from Guadalajara, the last time the US department of treasury investigated was between 2012-2013.



Hector Rafael Caro Elenes son of Caro Quintero participated in the Pekin Olympics in 2008

It's been three years and three months since the US Department of Treasury added to the list of leaders and money laundering business, the names of friends and partners of drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, and the Mexican government has already secured 19 bank accounts of 16 businesses and physical persons, who between the years of 2012 and 2013 performed bank transactions of 130 millions of pesos.

This are the results of the investigation PGR/SIEDO/UEIORPIFAM/AP/049/2014  and how the legal immunity promoted by the legal representatives of the businesses that have connections to the family members of the Cartel of Guadalajara was managed.

To this day, some of the businesses who were being investigated and got their assets frozen or confiscated bank accounts, the majority located in the Metropolitan area of Guadalajara, have obtained favorable legal immunity, however they are still being investigated.

The accusations

In June of 2013, the office of Treasury of the United States, through the Office of Foreign Asset Control(OFAC), sanctioned 18 persons and 15 businesses accused of being part of the criminal net of Caro Quintero, who American authorities have not forgive for the murder of DEA agent, Enrique Camarena Salazar in 1985; during that time, Caro was not detained in Puente Grande.

During the accusations made by the American government it was added to the list, a kind of species which make a resemblance to "Boss of American enemies", to the sons, ex-wife and close friends of the Sinaloan drug trafficker. They are accused of being part of a team of individuals who are involved in investing Caro's fortune in legitimate businesses and in the real estate of the city of Guadalajara.

Adan Szubin, director of the OFAC, claimed that with the help of Mexican authorities "we will keep pointing out the drug traffickers, their money laundering activities, and those who help them in their illicit activities".

The people accused are Hector Rafael (Olympic athlete), Roxana Elizabeth, Henoch Emilio and Mario Yibram, all of them with the last name Caro Elenes(sons of Caro); also their mother Maria Elizabeth Elenes Lerma was added to the list.  Also mention by the authorities were Denisse Buenrostro Villa, Humberto Vargas Correa and the brothers with the last name Sanchez Garza, sanchez barba and Sanchez Gonzalez, involved with Caro Quintero and Juan Jose Esparragoza Moreno "El Azul".

The accused business are; ECA Energéticos, S.A. de C.V.; El Baño de María, S. de R. L. de C.V.; Zapatos de Pronto, SAB de C.V.; Hacienda Las Limas, S.A.; Grupo Fracsa, SAB de C.V.; Dbardi, S.A.; Grupo Constructor Segundo Milenio, S.A. de C.V.; Restaurante Bar Los Andariegos; and  Piscilanea, S.A., along others.

In October 31 of 2013, the OFAC added to their listing another group of businesses involved with Caro Elenes in Jalisco and Sinaloa: Arrendadora Turín, S.A.; Barsat, S.A. de C.V.; Desarrolladora San Francisco del Rincón, S.A. de C.V.; Dinermas, S. de R.L. de C.V.; Energéticos Vago, S.A. de C.V.; Estación de Servicio Atemajac, S.A. de C.V.; Fortanas, S. de R.L. de C.V.; and Grupo Barsterra, S.A. de C.V.

Other accused entities are Grupo Espanol Elcar, S.A. de C.V.; Inmobiliaria Prominente, S.A. de C.V.; Minerales Nueva Era, S.A. de C.V.; Minerales Nueva Generación, S.A. de C.V.; Nueva Terra, S. de R.L. de C.V.; Operadora Engo, S.C.; Petro London, S. de R.L. de C.V.; Petro Mas, S. de R.L. de C.V.; Promi Fel, S. de R.L. de C.V.; Servicio y Operadora Santa Ana, S.A. de C.V.; Taxi Aéreo Nacional de Culiacán, S.A.; y Villas del Colli, S.A. de C.V.

The investigation

The actions of the Americans created an eco that the Mexican authorities could not ignore, and the Head "B" of the Direcion General de Procesos Legales, of the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF), part of the Secretaria de Hacienda Y Credito Publico (SDCP), submitted a demand on 7 February of 2014 through the Procudaruria General de la Republica (PGR).

In a ministerial agency by the Unidad Especializada en Investigacion de Operaciones de Procedencia Ilicita, Falsification y Alteracion de Moneda (UEIORPIFAM), of the Subprocuraduria Especializada en Investigacion de Delincuencia Organizada (SEIDO), the investigation PGR/SEIDO/UEIORPIFAM/AP/049/2014 was developed.

The first action conducted by the agent responsible for the seizure was to submit an order to the bank institutions to secure the accounts, checks and inversions under the name of the persons pointed out by government entities.

To the surprise of the UIF, they found the names of other businesses who were not under investigation but appeared under the same bank accounts as other businesses who were previously pointed out by American and Mexican authorities.

In that manner, in February 2014, the agent representing the Ministerio Publico de la Federacion was able to order financial institutions, through the Comision Nacional Bancaria i de Valores (CNBV), to proceed to secure 19 bank accounts and the money deposited in them through 16 businesses.

The accusation was based on the fact that the identified  individuals involved, and those who were not fully identified, "was highly possible that the introduction of illicit money in the financial system was made through personal bank accounts of persons who had a relationship with the cartel"

According to the operations conducted by the UIF, "it was observed the the investment was made at a really short term, with the intent to hide the origin and the final destination of the money".

Rafael Caro Quintero