Visits
- Two businesses in Salinas Pliego are investigated
- They used names and tokens to simulate illicit income
- They sent betting money to tax havens
Juan R. Hernandez
CANTON GROUP
Mexico City.- The investigations that led to the closure of 13 casinos for alleged money laundering “have legal basis and evidence,” said the president Claudia Sheinbaum who ruled out political motivations. From the National Palace, he stressed that these actions are part of the national security strategy to track resources linked to organized crime.
When questioned about the establishments linked to Salinas Group, Sheinbaum He indicated that he cannot comment on ongoing cases, but reiterated that the investigations have legal support.
The prosecutor Grisel Galeano explained that the casinos They operated through stolen identities or assumed names—young people, housewives or retirees—to move large sums that were then transferred abroad and laundered in tax havens.
The Secretary of Security, Omar García Harfuch, reported that the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) detected complex financial structures and unusual operations in the betting sector, with flows to Romania, Switzerland and the United States.
According to the FIU, three patterns were identified: intensive use of cash, networks that moved foreign money within the country and digital operations through unsupervised platforms, destined for Malta and the United Arab Emirates.
Illicit resources entered the casinos through chip purchases or simulated payments, were dispersed among front companies and returned to the beneficiaries via checks or transfers that appeared to be legitimate income. Part of the information was shared with the US Treasury Department to strengthen international cooperation.
The Segob, the UIF and the Treasury closed 13 casinos in eight states, including: Ganador Azteca and Operadora Ganadora TV Azteca (Grupo Salinas); Casino Royal Play (Jalisco), Fortuna (Nuevo León), Diamante (Sinaloa), Estrella (Sonora), Platinum (Baja California), Montecarlo (Edomex), Real (Chiapas), Imperio (CDMX), Luxor (Baja California) and Dorado (Nuevo León).
Salinas Group He described the operation as “state persecution” and announced legal action.