US Authorities Deal a Blow to Cartels in Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – In a significant move to dismantle the financial underpinnings of organized crime, the United States Treasury Department has sanctioned over a dozen companies associated with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). These actions, carried out by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), target entities implicated in timeshare fraud schemes across Jalisco, particularly in Puerto Vallarta.

The OFAC identified 13 companies tied to the CJNG, most of which are engaged in real estate operations. These companies are predominantly based in Puerto Vallarta, a location deemed a strategic hub for drug trafficking and other illicit operations. The sanctioned firms include:

1. Assis Reality and Vacation Club SA de CV, established on February 16, 2018, in Puerto Vallarta.
2. Axis Sale & Maintenance Buildings SA de CV, also founded on February 16, 2018, in Puerto Vallarta.
3. Banlu Comercializadora SA de CV, based in Puerto Vallarta.
4. Marketing of Tourist Services of Vallarta SA de CV, established on May 9, 2007, in Puerto Vallarta.
5. Condos & Vacations Buildings Sale & Maintenance SA de CV, with its inception on October 15, 2016, in Puerto Vallarta.
6. Crowlands SA of CV, headquartered in Guadalajara, established on May 20.
7. Epta SA of CV Business Group, operating in both Puerto Vallarta and Leon, Guanajuato, since August 14, 2013.
8. SAPI Pacific Bar Mining Group of CV, based in Leon, Guanajuato, and established on February 8.
9. International Realty & Maintenance SA de CV, founded on October 15, 2016, in Puerto Vallarta.
10. Mega Comercial Ferreléctrica SA de CV, located in Guadalajara.
11. Real Estates & Holiday Cities SA de CV, established on October 15, 2016, in Puerto Vallarta.
12. Skairu SA of CV, based in Guadalajara, established on June 20.
13. Terra Mines and Investments of the Pacific SAPI of CV, operating in Guadalajara since May 26.

Furthermore, OFAC has sanctioned three Mexican nationals for their involvement in CJNG-related timeshare frauds: Teresa de Jesús Alvarado Rubio, Manuel Alejandro Foubert Cadena, and Gabriel del Villa Contreras. Alvarado has been implicated in such frauds for 15 years, Foubert since late 2016, and Del Villar, a practicing attorney, specializes in debt collection and real estate fraud for the CJNG, operating primarily in Puerto Vallarta.

This announcement follows OFAC’s earlier sanctions in 2023 against 27 companies allegedly linked to the CJNG, led by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho,” for similar frauds. The Mexican Association of Tourist Developers (AMDETUR) explains that timeshare, a legitimate vacation property marketing method, is often exploited for fraud. This scheme involves unsolicited offers to timeshare owners, demanding advance payments for fictitious sales, leading to financial losses for the victims.

U.S. authorities caution against scammers impersonating OFAC agents to appear legitimate, and urge victims of such frauds to report to the Internet Crime Complaint Center of the FBI at https://www.ic3.gov.