A dress rental business, a real estate agency, a household goods retailer, and a spa in a residential area of the Marina are four of the 10 companies identified by the U.S. Treasury Department as money laundering fronts for “Los Chapitos,” which continued to operate normally a week after being sanctioned. The remaining six businesses related to tourism, building construction, and advertising, according to tour operators and real estate professionals, are untraceable because the information posted online is outdated.
A tour conducted by El Sol de Mazatlán at these locations confirmed that employees, such as those at “MUE, dress rental and sale,” continued their daily work, and some of them said they were unaware of the sanctions announced last Monday, June 9. At others, such as “Carpe Diem Spa, hairdressing and beauty treatments,” access to the premises is restricted. In the case of Ecocampestre Ultra, located in Plaza Náutica, and Comercializadora Copado, based in a warehouse in Bonfil Park, there was no activity despite appearing to be active.
The U.S. Treasury Department’s announcement regarding the money laundering network linked to the Los Chapitos faction in Mazatlán identified Víctor Manuel Barraza Pablos, alias “El 40,” and José Raúl Núñez Ríos, known as “El Lic,” as the Sinaloa Cartel’s financial operators in the port. The official statement also mentioned Sheila Paola Urías Vázquez, Núñez’s wife, who was identified as the owner of the spa, real estate businesses, and hospitality companies. U.S. authorities stated that this network not only supports the finances of this faction but is also linked to extortion, kidnappings, and homicides.
Being designated by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) entails inclusion on a list of individuals and entities designated for directly or indirectly collaborating with international criminal organizations. In this case, the sanction for companies linked to the Los Chapitos network is equivalent to blocking all assets they own or control in the United States, and punishing U.S. citizens who do business with them. OFAC indicated that Núñez Ríos maintains control of a business structure that operates in various economic sectors in Mazatlán.
Last September, hundreds of flyers were dropped from a small plane in Culiacán, depicting several people allegedly linked to “Los Chapitos” with a list of companies and real estate agencies used as “fronts” for money laundering. The three individuals were named, and nine months later, they would be sanctioned by the Treasury.
An online search of Treasury bulletins from the last 15 years sanctioning money laundering networks linked to the Sinaloa cartel found 20 designations, predominantly in cities such as Culiacán, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Tijuana, and Mexicali. The announcement on Monday the 9th would be the first to feature Mazatlán.
José Raúl Núñez Ríos, alias “El Lic,” appears as a partner or legal representative in at least a dozen companies registered in Mazatlán since 2000, primarily in the tourism, commercial, and real estate sectors. Núñez “appears to have become wealthy in a short period of time, starting in 2021,” the Treasury Department stated.
The first company in which he appears is Club Playa Real, S.A. de C.V., incorporated on August 8, 2000, as a tour operator. The associated address is linked to some point on Sábalo Cerritos Avenue, but a search for the specific address only found a subdivision and construction work. The phone number listed in the records is unavailable.
In 2007, the company Beach y Marina, S.A. de C.V., linked to Núñez Ríos, was registered as a construction company. No updated information was found on its location or activities. That same year, the company Comercializadora Copado, S.A. de C.V., dedicated to the wholesale sale of household goods, was registered. It is located in Bonfil Park, on Puerto Guaymas Avenue. Neighbors indicated that the warehouse had previously operated as a fishing warehouse and a sauce factory.
A decade later, on June 14, 2017, MKT 24 Siete, S.A. de C.V., was incorporated as an advertising agency, for which no updated public information appears. In June 2019, the company Proyecta Interna, S.A. de C.V., also dedicated to building construction, was formed. Its contact information is not updated.
On January 14, 2020, IMB 24 Siete, S.A. de C.V., was registered with the same corporate purpose of construction. The company was located on Carlos Canseco Avenue, next to the Mediterráneo subdivision. The building remains vacant, although it still retains the real estate business name. Its social media accounts stopped being updated almost two years ago.
On July 2, 2021, Eco Campestres Ultra, S.A.P.I. de C.V., was registered as an investment development company. This is one of the corporate names of Grupo Inmobiliario Ultra. Its offices are located in Plaza Náutica, on Avenida de la Marina, and are operational.
The Treasury list is complemented by the company Sea Wa Beach Club, S.A. de C.V., registered on May 7, 2024, as a tour operator. No address was found, and a phone number listed corresponds to a line in Caborca, Sonora, that is out of service.
MOney laundering paradise?
There are at least 170 real estate developments in Mazatlán, according to a story published by El Sol de Mazatlán on May 26. Luciano Carrasco, president of the Mexican Association of Real Estate Professionals (AMPI) Mazatlán, said there are no formal complaints involving its members in money laundering.
“As of today, we don’t have a single person, in this case, who has filed a complaint or anything through any of the AMPI partners,” he stated.
He acknowledged that, although news of this type can generate concern, the impact on the local economy doesn’t appear to be significant. “We’ve been hearing about the news, I mean, almost always when these situations happen, because there are global repercussions, right? Especially in economies like Mexico, where we are commercially and financially linked to the US market, but there have always been warnings, both so-called warnings that were attempts or things, situations that occur that are beyond our control,” he commented.
Carrasco highlighted the urban development in the city and the confidence this generates among investors, even from other states. “Well, you see how Mazatlán has been developing very strongly in the real estate sector. Well, I think everything makes noise. It’s a phenomenon that occurs throughout Mexico. It’s a phenomenon that occurs when they suddenly issue an alert about a specific bulletin or when the artistic topic of different companies suddenly comes up. So, in this case, here in Mazatlán, real estate agents and developers are very serious, committed, and prepared people, who are always training, striving, especially today, on the important issues of economic and urban development in our city,” he concluded.
Source: oem
