The 10 casinos are based in Sonora, Sinaloa, Baja California and Tabasco. The establishments are:
Emine Casino (San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora)
Mirage Casino (Culiacan, Sinaloa)
Midas Casino (Agua Prieta, Sonora)
Casino Midas (Guamúchil, Sinaloa)
Midas Casino (Los Mochis, Sinaloa)
Casino Midas (Mazatlán, Sinaloa)
Midas Casino (Rosarito, Baja California)
Casino Palermo (Nogales, Sonora)
Skampa Casino (Ensenada, Baja California)
Casino Skampa (Villahermosa, Tabasco)
“FinCEN determines that these gaming establishments are ultimately controlled by a criminal group with a long history of financial transactions, through which they facilitate money laundering for the benefit of the Sinaloa Cartel, a threat to national security that undermines the stability of the US financial system,” he highlighted.
US authorities highlighted that the gambling establishments in this investigation, along with their senior managers, have directly and indirectly facilitated money laundering for the benefit of the Sinaloa Cartel, a drug trafficking organization based in Mexico.
The authorities proposed a rule that prohibits financial institutions from opening or maintaining a correspondent account at any foreign banking institution if such account is used to process transactions involving any of the gaming establishments.
…and Treasury Department sanctions Hysa family
The US Treasury Department sanctioned members of the Hysa family, alleging that they used their extensive network of casinos and restaurants as a front to launder funds for the powerful Sinaloa cartel.
The measure was coordinated with the Government of Mexico and sanctioned six members of the Hysa family (Luftar Hysa, Arben Hysa, Ramiz Hysa, Fatos Hysa, Fabjon Hysa and Eselda Baku, formerly Eselda Hysa) as well as the Mexican Gilberto López López, who serves as commissioner.
The Treasury disconnected the family’s alleged casinos in Mexico from the US financial system. The Hysas, originally from Albania, have publicly denied ties to organized crime in the past.
US authorities allege that Luftar Hysa, who lives between Mexico and Canada, worked with an unnamed person in the United States to move large amounts of cash from the Latin American country to its northern neighbor.
The Treasury announcement comes a day after Mexican authorities said they had suspended operations of 13 casinos for alleged plans to launder millions of dollars abroad.
It is not clear whether the two operations are related.
