Mexican authorities announced a series of actions to dismantle a complex money-laundering scheme uncovered in 13 casinos. Following a financial-analysis investigation, the Government of Mexico — through the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) and the Secretariat of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP) — identified irregular transactions, filed complaints with the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), and notified the Federal Tax Prosecutor’s Office (PFF) regarding possible fiscal crimes and tax omissions.
As part of the operation, authorities temporarily suspended activities in the physical establishments involved, blocked online casino platforms, and froze bank accounts linked to unusual operations. President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo stated that the investigations are being conducted legally and in coordination with financial-intelligence units from the United States and other countries, to prevent illicit funds from reaching organized-crime groups.
Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch announced the start of a new preventive phase, involving early-detection mechanisms, predictive models based on artificial intelligence, and new sector-specific typologies to identify irregular behavior before it harms the financial system. Authorities detected operations of up to 50 million pesos, international transfers, and the use of digital platforms to conceal the origin of funds in states such as Jalisco, Nuevo León, Sonora, Sinaloa, Chiapas, Mexico City, the State of Mexico, and Baja California.
Federal Tax Prosecutor Grisel Galeano García explained that the scheme operated through identity theft of vulnerable people — including youth, retirees, and homemakers — who were unknowingly used to place bets with illicit money. The supposed winnings were then redirected to accounts abroad and tax havens, repeating the cycle multiple times to launder the capital.
The federal government reaffirmed its commitment to combating money laundering as an integral part of the national security strategy. The Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF), strengthened under this administration, will continue coordinating with the Security Cabinet and the National Intelligence and Investigation System to prevent criminal organizations from exploiting the country’s financial system.
