Mexico disputes U.S. money-laundering charges against three Mexican financial institutions
Mexico City – President Trump’s “wage war on drug cartels resulted in charges of money laundering against the three Mexican Financial institutions – allegations that produce a return from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
“No evidence, only words,” he said to journalists on Thursday. “There must be evidence to know if there is a money laundering. Therefore, we do not deny or accept it.”
The day before, he called “historical” sanctions against the US Treasury Ministry, Cibanco, Intercam Banco and Vector Casa de Bolsa. The department blamed three of the dollars in Narco-Cash to facilitate smuggling of Fentanil and other synthetic opioids to the USA.
Treasury secretary Scott Bessent confirms the commitment of using all the vehicles we have, ”he said in a news bulletin.
The Treasury’s movement will prevent US financial institutions from dealing with three sanctions and effectively closing them from access to the world’s largest market.
The Treasury accused the three companies to make it easier to pay payments for the supply of pioneering chemicals to produce fentanyls for various Mexican drug cartels ”.
US officials say that Mexican cartels use chemicals imported from China to produce fentanyl in hidden laboratories, and then kidnapped strong Opioid to the USA. Authorities said the land market fentanil has led to tens of thousands of overdose deaths in the United States.
Sheinbaum received great praise for a “air” approach with the Trump administration, despite many disagreements, including a tax that wants Mexico to fall into Fentanyl smuggling, including 25% tariffs on some Mexican imports of Trump.
But Sheinbaum clearly pointed out his discontent with the Treasury’s punishing actions.
“Mexico is not connected to anyone, Shein Sheinbaum said. “We coordinated, we cooperate – we have said this many times – but we will not be subject to ourselves.”
In Mexico, some analysts called the Treasury Movings as a broad party against Mexico’s economic welfare. US officials, Mexican companies and individuals have frequently approved for connections with drug trafficking, but experts say that the targeting of banks is much less frequent.
“The accusation for the Mexican financial system for decades for decades and represents a irreversible point for these three companies, Carl said Carlos Mota, a columnist of El Heraldo de México. “All Mexican financial system was shocked.”
However, since none of the three companies are a dominant player in Mexico, “any burden and disruption should be relatively low”.
All institutions-two banks and a intermediary house, all medium-sized firms-refused to make a mistake.
Vactor Casa de Bolsa said, “Any concession that endangered its corporate integrity categorically,” he said. According to US officials, Vector manages approximately $ 11 billion.
The case against Vector has made a special examination in Mexico because of his ties with Alfonso Romo, a businessman who served as the founder of the Morena political block of Mexico, the pioneer of Sheinbaum, the pioneer of Sheinbaum, former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of the firm for two years.
After leaving the position of the General Staff, Romo remained as the best economy consultant of López Obrador.
Mexican media accounts described Romo as Honorary President and Founding Partner of Vector. Romo did not comment on everyone. According to Mexican media reports, Edgar Amador, the current Finance Minister of Mexico, is an old analyst of Vector.
In addition to other allegations against Vector, Treasury said that from 2013 to 2016, a “suspicious Sinaloa Cartel Money Millet” was transferred to the intermediary company more than $ 1.5 million. Vector also allegedly linked to millions of dollars in Sinaloa Cartel payments to Genaro García Luna, a former high -level Federal Security official of Mexico.
García Luna was sentenced to Sinaloa at the 2023 US Regional Court and received millions of dollars grafts. He is sentenced to 38 years in prison.
The US order against three Mexican Finance Institutions will come into force within 21 days. This is a law case and does not contain criminal charges.
Special reporter Cecilia Sánchez Vidal contributed to this report.
