Omar García Harfuch reported the results of a systematic investigation and financial analysis work to dismantle activities used for money laundering. This made it possible to detect 13 physical and virtual gaming and raffle establishments, with irregular operations in the states of Jalisco, Nuevo León, Sinaloa, Sonora, Baja California, State of Mexico, Chiapas and Mexico City.
Mexico City, November 12 (However).- The federal governmentheaded by President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardorevealed this Wednesday morning how money was laundered by mexican casinos who were suspended by the Ministry of the Interior (Segob) and the Treasury Secretarysince they allegedly resorted to the use of stolen identities and false winners to commit said crime.
Omar García Harfuchholder of the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC)was in charge of reporting the results of the systematic investigation and financial analysis work to dismantle activities used for the money laundering.
“This made it possible to detect 13 gaming and raffle establishments, physical and virtual, with irregular operations in the states of Jalisco, Nuevo León, Sinaloa, Sonora, Baja California, State of Mexico, Chiapas and Mexico City,” he said during Sheinbaum Pardo’s morning press conference.
García Harfuch pointed out that thanks to the joint work of the institutions of the Security Cabinet, carried out in close coordination with the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) of the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP), “risk patterns, fiscal irregularities, unusual operations and transnational financial links that affected the integrity of the financial system” were identified.
For this reason, he added, “physical and virtual casinos were analyzed, a sector that, due to its nature of intensive cash management and digital transactions, presents relevant risks of money laundering.”
Harfuch pointed out that the Federal Tax Prosecutor’s Office (PFF) reviewed possible tax crimes and tax evasion associated with these operations; while the FIU was in charge of integrating the reports of unusual operations, as well as carrying out the strategic and operational analysis that allowed the identification of financial networks linked to alleged illicit activities.
“These advances also reflect the value of international cooperation, especially with FinCEN [Red de Control de Delitos Financieros] y OFAC [Oficina de Control de Activos Extranjeros]of the United States Department of the Treasury,” he highlighted from the Treasury Room of the National Palace.
For the federal official, “this collaboration allows us to strengthen the capacity of the Mexican State in the prevention, detection and dismantling of transnational financial structures used by groups to launder money.”
The owner of the #SSPC, @OHarfuchreports the results of a systematic investigation and financial analysis work to dismantle activities used for money laundering, which made it possible to detect 13 physical and virtual gaming and raffle establishments, with… pic.twitter.com/ubZp4usJSJ
— Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (@SSPCMexico) November 12, 2025
In addition, he added, it contributes to the exchange of financial information, coordination in the application of sanctions and restrictive measures, as well as compliance with standards and recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
The person in charge of the SSPC said that, during the last few months, the Financial Intelligence Unit carried out a comprehensive analysis that was based on the integration and crossing of banking, tax and corporate information.
The above helped identify unusual financial operations and complex economic structures within the gambling sector. It also made it possible to discover the following patterns used to hide resources of illicit origin:
- Casinos with cash operations and tax simulation, where dispersion of resources between subsidiaries and zero declarations was recorded.
- Casinos with international flows of foreign origin, which transferred large amounts to countries such as Romania, Switzerland and the United States, without justifying their origin.
- Unsupervised digital casinos or technology platforms, which operated online payments and technology aggregators destined for Malta and the United Arab Emirates, outside of national financial regulation.
Through systematic intelligence, investigation and financial analysis work, irregular operations were detected in the gaming and sweepstakes sector used for money laundering.
These actions were carried out in coordination with the @PFFMxthe @SSPCMexico,… pic.twitter.com/DJEZAg1Prx
— Mexican Security Cabinet (@GabSeguridadMX) November 12, 2025