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ktla.com
U.S. issues ‘do not travel’ warning for Mexico ahead of spring break

Posted: Mar 6, 2023 / 06:36 AM PST
Updated: Mar 6, 2023 / 06:37 AM PST
Note: This article was originally published before the kidnapping of four Americans in Matamoros, Mexico.

As Americans prepare to pack up their books and hit the beaches, many are hearing an increasingly strong warning from the U.S. government: Think twice before traveling to Mexico.
Experts who spoke to NewsNation said some resorts, which have long been considered safe areas, may actually be controlled by Mexican drug cartels.
“There is a cartel presence in these resorts,” said Robert Almonte, a former U.S. marshal in the western district of Texas.
Almonte isn’t just referring to drugs being sold to tourists; he says cartels own some of those popular resorts as a way to launder money.
“They’re not going to have their name on there,” he said. “They’re going to other individuals that have interest in the companies already and I think one of the main reasons is to launder their money.”
The U.S. Treasury Department is currently pursuing such a connection with the case of Sergio Armando Orozco Rodriguez, also known as “Chocho.”
Using the Kingpin Act, federal authorities allege “Chocho” is a member of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) who extorts businesses for protection money in his hometown of Puerto Vallarta and launders drug proceeds through ties to nightclubs and restaurants along the city’s main boardwalk.
Earl Anthony Wayne, a former U.S. ambassador to Mexico, says money laundering through hospitality services, real estate and other foreign trade that appears legitimate all boils down to Mexican cartels supplying drugs and American demand for them.