The mayor of Tijuana, Baja California, is considering legal action against media outlets that are reporting on a money laundering investigation involving him. This investigation is tied to two businessmen believed to be linked with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel.
This week, Miguel Burgueno Ruiz acknowledged receiving a notification from Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office regarding the inquiry being conducted by the Organized Crime Division (FEMDO). Burgueno and other politicians have suggested that the investigation is driven by political motives, as it was sparked by an anonymous tip-off.
The situation escalated when local news organizations in Tijuana released images of court documents related to the case. One such document included a summons for Mr. Burgueno to present himself at the FEMDO office on Tuesday. Additionally, discussions were underway concerning other politicians and several business figures in Baja California.
Burgueno is reportedly connected to Mexican businessmen Fernando Rafael Salgado Chavez and Marco Antonio Moreno Santelises, identified in reports as significant associates of both the CJNG and Sinaloa cartel, which are recognized by the U.S. government as foreign terrorist organizations.
Earlier in the year, Fernando Salgado engaged a Virginia-based law firm in an attempt to silence local media exposing his connections to organized crime, according to reports.
This latest scandal in Baja California follows a revelation earlier this year when the state’s governor, Marina del Pilar, and her husband, Carlos Torres Torres, admitted that their tourist visas had been revoked by the U.S. State Department. Officials attempted to downplay the cancellation as a clerical issue. However, they are among several Mexican politicians whose visas have been rescinded due to connections with criminal networks.
