Mexican criminal groups expand into legal businesses to launder funds

Mexican authorities and international investigators report that criminal organizations are increasingly diversifying their operations by establishing legal businesses to launder money. In at least nine Mexican states, criminal groups have reportedly set up 50 different types of legitimate enterprises, ranging from small shops to large chains, to integrate illicit profits into the formal economy.

The Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) is specifically identified as having a highly diversified economic structure. While drug trafficking remains a primary revenue source, the group also engages in fuel smuggling, extortion, kidnapping, and the control of legal companies. This economic expansion aims to create legitimate assets for family members and evade law enforcement.

In a separate enforcement action, the Fiscalía General de Justicia del Estado de México (FGJEM) arrested two individuals, identified as Gabriel “N” and Deni “N”, suspected of belonging to a criminal group known as “Los Cerdos”. The group is allegedly involved in violent vehicle theft, home robbery, and kidnapping in the municipalities of Axapusco and Nopaltepec, as well as in the state of Hidalgo.