Mexican league offers to cooperate in money laundering probe
August 21st, 2012 - 5:01 pm ICT by IANSMexico City, Aug 21 (IANS) The president of Mexico’s MX premier football league has offered to cooperate with the authorities should they open an investigation into recent allegations that drug traffickers used the clubs to launder money, local media sources said.
MX chief Decio de Maria told reporters at a press conference Monday: “The league is always open to cooperating with all the authorities in any kind of investigation.”
Colombian broadcaster RCN recently reported that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration had warned Colombian authorities that the nation’s drug cartels had used Mexican teams for money laundering purposes, Xinhua reports.
RCN said Colombian drug lords, former paramilitary leaders extradited to the U.S. and even a leader of the country’s leftist insurgents were known to have “invested” in Mexican teams from 2003 to 2006, according to records seized by Colombia’s General Attorney’s Office.
De Maria said the Mexican league follows a set of requirements that “shields” the teams against illegal money.
De Maria said that the Mexican Football Federation has intensified the protocols to accept new shareholders in the local teams.
“The 18 teams completely follow and fulfil the protocols,” said de Maria.
He explained that the Mexican clubs should comply “an affiliation notebook and a set of protocols that we follow, we are alert of any irregular situations”.
- Police arrest top drug trafficker at Mexico City airport - Dec 29, 2011
- Former Governor of Mexican State extradited to the US for involvement with the Juarez Cartel - May 11, 2010
- Mexican woman becomes world's first female drug lord - May 03, 2011
- At least 20 bodies found in vehicles in western Mexico - Nov 25, 2011
- Premier League stars 'hired 14 hookers and tranny for party' - Sep 17, 2010
- Mexican marines capture son of Sinaloa drug cartel leader - Jun 22, 2012
- Paraguay striker to play with bullet lodged in skull - Jun 08, 2012
- Mexican gangs using kids to smuggle drugs to US - Jan 09, 2012
- Mexican drug cartel queen has Botox in prison - Feb 02, 2011
- Mexico lost $872 bn to illegal capital flight: Study - Jan 31, 2012
- Colombian police capture key man in drug cartel linked to Mexico and the U.S. - Jan 14, 2011
- Mexican duo rolls out new album - Feb 23, 2012
- Mexican Supreme Court official held for links to drug cartel - Aug 13, 2012
- Clinton praises Mexico's fight against drug cartels - Jan 26, 2011
- Mexico, a hub for money laundering, still the main foreign supplier of drugs to the U.S. - Mar 03, 2010
Tags: allegations, broadcaster, colombian authorities, colombian drug lords, decio, drug cartels, drug enforcement administration, drug traffickers, football federation, football league, illegal money, insurgents, local media, media sources, mexico city, paramilitary leaders, president of mexico, rcn, shields, xinhua