Federal agents deported a Mexican politician who spent years on the run before spending many years in a U.S. prison on money laundering charges tied to embezzled funds and cartel bribes. During his time on the run, the former governor of Tamaulipas, Mexico, had protection from the Mexican government and even had police officers assigned as his bodyguards.
This week, agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement sent former Tamaulipas Governor Tomas de Jesus Yarrington Ruvalcaba to Mexico. Mexican authorities took him into custody as he awaits trial on federal corruption and embezzlement charges. The deportation came after he completed his sentence in the United States. Since a different political party currently controls Mexico than Yarrington’s, he does not have the government protection he previously enjoyed.
According to information released by ICE, Yarrington was in the U.S. serving a prison sentence of 108 months following his guilty plea on money laundering charges on March 25, 2021. At the time of the guilty plea, prosecutors dismissed the more serious charges that named Yarrington as an ally of Los Zetas and the Gulf Cartel, who allowed them to operate in his state with complete impunity.
Yarrington had served as the Tamaulipas governor from 1999 to 2005, a time that saw the rapid spread of violence in Tamaulipas at the hands of the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas.
As Breitbart Texas reported, Yarrington was even accused by federal agents of using his political influence after his term to help Los Zetas and the Beltran Leyva Cartel gain a foothold in the Port of Veracruz, a major shipping port used to smuggle drugs and fuel into Mexico.
The charges to which Yarrington pleaded guilty were related to funneling bribes from private individuals and businesses into U.S. accounts and using those funds to purchase real estate.
Breitbart Texas was the first outlet to report that while living in Mexico as a fugitive from the U.S. Department of Justice and with an Interpol warrant, Yarrington had Tamaulipas police officers assigned as his bodyguards. After much political pressure, Mexican authorities were forced to stop protecting Yarrington, who had been living a life of luxury.
Without government protection, Yarrington fled to Italy, where he continued living a life of luxury under an alias until his capture by agents from U.S. Homeland Security Investigations. Breitbart Texas exclusively published a series of photographs that showed Yarrington living a life of luxury in Europe and even partying with models.
After Yarrington’s arrest by HSI agents, Mexico’s government tried to take credit for the capture and tried to have him extradited to Mexico first as a way to protect him. Breitbart Texas reported exclusively on the internal wrangling between US and Mexican officials over the fate of the narco-politician. Eventually, an Italian court sided with the U.S. and had Yarrington turned over to HSI agents, who moved him to Texas.
Yarrington’s successor Eugenio Hernandez is still listed as a fugitive by U.S. authorities on similar charges. While he spent time in a Mexican jail for embezzlement charges, he got his freedom before the U.S. government could move to extradite him. Most recently, he ran for a federal political office to gain immunity but lost his bid. He continues to live a life of luxury in a Mexican coastal beach area, Breitbart Texas reported.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].
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