Corruption allegations involving Mexican Customs Agency

An investigation by Mexicanos Contra la Corrupción y la Impunidad (MCCI) has linked Alejandro Enrique Arcos Romero, an alleged financial operator for the Romanian mafia, to the leadership of Mexico’s National Customs Agency (ANAM).

Arcos Romero is identified as a key architect for a criminal organization led by Florian Tudor, which has been involved in credit card cloning schemes in Mexican tourist destinations. Although Mexico’s Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) froze his bank accounts in February 2021 as part of ‘Operación Caribe,’ Arcos Romero served as a private secretary to Rafael Marín Mollinedo, the head of ANAM, between December 2022 and June 2023. He is reportedly part of Mollinedo’s current campaign for the governorship of Quintana Roo.

The investigation further connects former ANAM procurement director Araceli Hernández Perea to Arcos Romero. The pair allegedly established companies in San Antonio, Texas, and purchased a luxury mansion valued at approximately $902,000 in mid-2024. This acquisition was noted as being inconsistent with Hernández Perea’s reported monthly salary. During her tenure, Hernández Perea managed the awarding of multi-million peso contracts for sensitive national security equipment, such as X-ray machines for customs inspections.