Mexico’s government seeks to extradite a fugitive vice-admiral who is wanted in connection with a large-scale cartel-connected fuel smuggling conspiracy. The admiral allegedly attempted to flee to Argentina to avoid prosecution in Mexico.
This week, law enforcement in Buenos Aires, Argentina, working with Mexican military and police, arrested Fernando Farias Laguna, a top-level vice-admiral with Mexico’s Navy who is listed as a fugitive on organized crime charges in relation to fuel smuggling. At the time of the arrest, authorities in Argentina revealed that Farias Laguna carried a false ID as he tried to hide out in the South American nation.
During one of her morning news conferences, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum revealed that her government was working to secure the immediate deportation of Farias Laguna to Mexico due to the fact that he used a fake passport to enter Argentina. In case a deportation is not possible, they would work the diplomatic and legal channels to have him extradited to Mexico, where he is facing multiple criminal charges in connection with the fuel smuggling network.
As Breitbart Texas reported, Farias Laguna is the nephew of Mexico’s former Secretary of the Navy, Rafael Ojeda, and is accused of being one of the leaders of a large-scale fuel smuggling operation that reached the highest levels of Mexico’s government. A new report released by the NGO Mexicanos Contra La Corrupccion revealed that Farias Laguna had been a business partner of Gilberto Salazar Escoboza, a Mexican businessman who in 2013 was convicted of bank fraud in a U.S federal court. Salazar Escoboza is the father-in-law of Alfonso Durazo Chavez, the son of the current Governor of Sonora and former Secretary of the Interior (a position similar to Vice-President), Alfonso Durazo Montano. The business relation that deals with previously flagged deposits allegedly tied to the smuggling of fuel is listed as part of the ongoing investigation against Farias, the report revealed.
As Breitbart Texas reported, since the case involving Farias Laguna and other top naval officers came out, there have been suspicious deaths involving the two main whistleblowers in the case. Also, last year, a leaked audio recording revealed that the then Secretary of the Navy, Rafael Ojeda, was speaking with his top advisors about how to cover up the fuel smuggling case, Breitbart Texas reported.
Various journalists and politicians have implicated the sons of Mexico’s former President, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, as being part of the fuel smuggling operation. With the proceeds of that group not only helping fund cartels, but also Lopez Obrador’s family, and also Mexico’s ruling party, MORENA.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].
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