Argentina’s government sent to Mexico a Mexican Navy vice admiral wanted for his alleged role in a fuel smuggling conspiracy that is believed to include some of the country’s top military brass and politicians at the highest levels.
This week, Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office announced the extradition of Mexican Navy Vice Admiral Fernando Laguna Farias, who was in police custody in Argentina. According to Mexican authorities, Laguna Farias is wanted in Mexico in connection with ongoing fuel smuggling investigations connected to various criminal organizations, including Cartel Jalisco New Generation and the Gulf Cartel.
Reporting by Breitbart Texas has also linked the case to top military and naval brass, as well as the country’s political elite, including the sons of former Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
As Breitbart Texas has reported, the fuel smuggling conspiracy is referred to as “huachicol fiscal,” where criminal organizations would steal large amounts of fuel and, with the help of Mexican government officials, move that fuel out of the country, where the fuel would be laundered on paper to make it seem like the fuel was purchased and then smuggled back into Mexico. To get through customs, smuggling organizations would use false documents claiming the fuel was some sort of waste.
This scheme reportedly became a big moneymaker not only for drug cartels, but also for Mexico’s political elite, with some of the profits being used to fund political campaigns of the country’s ruling party MORENA.
The case involving Mexico’s Navy has sparked much controversy since two of the main whistleblowers within Mexico’s Navy died mysterious deaths, leading to much speculation about them having been silenced by the political elite, Breitbart Texas has reported. Those cases, along with claims made by Laguna Farias about likely being killed if he was extradited to Mexico, have led to much speculation about his fate.
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 Iortiz@breitbart.com.
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 bdarby@breitbart.com.