Mexico disputes U.S. money-laundering charges against three Mexican financial institutions
Mexico – President Trump’s wish to “wage war” drug cartels has led to accusations of money laundering bombers against three Mexican financial institutions – allegations that produced a decline from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
“There is no evidence, just words,” said a clearly agitated Sheinbaum on Thursday. “There must be evidence to find out if there was money laundering or not. Therefore, we do not refuse it or do not accept it. ”
One day earlier, the US Treasury Department expressed what it called “historic” sanctions against Lebanco, Intercam Banco and Vector Casa de Bolsa. The Department has accused the three of the laundering of millions of dollars in Narco-Cash to facilitate fentanyl traffic and other synthetic opioids in the United States.
The orders “claim the commitment of the Treasury to use all the tools at our disposal to counter the threat posed by criminal and terrorist organizations,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a press release.
The move of the Treasury Department largely prohibits American financial institutions from dealing with the three sanctioned entities, effectively preventing them from access to the largest world market.
The Treasury accused the three funding companies for various Mexican drug cartels and of “facilitating payments for the purchase of pioneering chemicals necessary to produce fentanyl”.
The American authorities say that Mexican cartels use chemicals imported from China to produce fentanyl in clandestine laboratories, then smuggling the powerful opioid in the United States. Fentanyl on the black market has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths by overdose in the United States, officials said.
Sheinbaum was widely praised for his non -conflictual and “cold” approach with the Trump administration, despite many disagreements – including the taxation of Trump of 25% prices on certain Mexican imports, a levy intended to encourage Mexico to further suppress fentanyl smuggling.
But Sheinbaum pointed out his clear dissatisfaction with the punitive actions of the Treasury.
“We are not the piñata of anyone,” said Sheinbaum, adding: “We coordinate, collaborate – we have said it several times – but we will not subordinate ourselves.”
In Mexico, some analysts have qualified the Treasury’s moves a wide side against the economic well-being of Mexico. The American authorities have frequently sanctioned Mexican companies and individuals for alleged ties with drug smuggling, but experts claim that targeting of banks is much less frequent.
“The accusation is the most serious news for the Mexican financial system for decades and represents a point of no return for these three companies,” wrote the chronicler Carlos Mota of the newspaper El Heraldo de México. “The entire Mexican financial system has shocked.”
But the treasure said that “any burden and disturbance should be relatively minimal”, because none of the three companies is a dominant player in Mexico.
All institutions – two banks and a brokerage house, all medium -sized companies – have denied any reprehensible act.
Vector Casa de Bolsa said that she “categorically rejected any imputation that compromises her institutional integrity”. Vector manages about $ 11 billion in total assets, according to US officials.
The case against Vector carried out a special examination in Mexico due to the company’s bonds with Alfonso Romo, a businessman who served for two years as chief of staff to former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the Sheinbaum predecessor, the mentor and the founder of the dominant political block of Mexico.
After leaving the post of chief of staff, Romo remained a high-level economic advisor of López Obrador.
Mexican media accounts described Romo as the honorary president and co-founder of Vector. Romo did not comment publicly. According to the Mexican media, the Minister of Finance of Mexico, Edgar Amador, is a former analyst at Vector.
Among other allegations against Vector, the Treasury said that from 2013 to 2016 “an alleged mule of Sinaloa cartel” had transferred more than $ 1.5 million to the brokerage firm. Vector would also have been linked to millions of dollars in the payments of the Sinaloa cartel to Genaro García Luna, the former Federal Security official of Mexico.
García Luna was sentenced to the United States US district court in the Sinaloa crowd and receiving millions of dollars in transplants. He serves a 38 -year prison sentence.
The American order against the three Mexican financial institutions must take effect in 21 days. It is a civil action and does not imply criminal accusations.
The special correspondent Cecilia Sánchez Vidal contributed to this report.
