Mexican Governor Charged With Helping Cartel Smuggle Tons of Cocaine Is Extradited to U.S.

Villanueva accused of aiding smugglers, laundering cash through Lehman Bros.

ByABC News

May 10, 2010, 11:50 AM

May 10, 2010  -- Mario Ernesto Villanueva Madrid, former governor of the Mexican state that holds Cancun and dozens of other Caribbean beach resorts, has been extradited to New York on charges of accepting bribes from a violent drug cartel that smuggled hundreds of tons of cocaine into the U.S. and then laundering the bribe money through Lehman Brothers.

Villanueva was extradited Saturday to federal authorities in the Southern District of New York on charges that he accepted $19 million in bribes from the Juarez cartel in exchange for allowing the cartel free rein to smuggle Colombian cocaine through the state of Quintana Roo to the U.S. Prosecutors allege that he received $500,000 for each shipment.

The former governor was also extradited on a second indictment, in which he is charged with laundering his alleged trafficking profits through accounts at Lehman Brothers in New York and elsewhere. On Saturday morning he was turned over by Mexico's Attorney General's Office to the DEA and the U.S. Marshals Service and flown by DEA jet from Mexico City to White Plains, New York.

Villanueva, known in Mexico by the nickname "El Chueco" – the crooked one -- has been in prison in Mexico since 2001 on charges of taking bribes to let cocaine traffickers, including police officers, smuggle drugs through the state. He is the highest ranking politician in Mexico ever subject to a drug-related investigation while still in office.

Now 61, Villaneuva became mayor of the area that includes Cancun in 1990, then took a seat in the Mexican Senate before being elected to a six-year term as governor of Quintana Roo in 1993.

Criminal charges were filed against Villaneuva for drug trafficking and money laundering while he was still governor, but he was immune from prosecution while in office. He disappeared two weeks before the ceremony where he was scheduled to hand over the governorship to his successor.

Criminal charges were filed against Villaneuva for drug trafficking and money laundering while he was still governor, but he was immune from prosecution while in office. He disappeared two weeks before the ceremony where he was scheduled to hand over the governorship to his successor.","publishedDate":"2010-05-10T15:50:12Z","contributors":[{"name":"ABC News","url":"","role":"","logo":"","logoAlt":""}],"modifiedDate":"2010-06-24T18:22:06Z","section":"Blotter","wordCount":311,"relatedTags":{"heading":"Related Topics","tags":[]},"lead":{"ratio":"16x9","disableForMobile":false,"type":"xl","mediaType":"image","alignCaptionToBody":true},"ads":{"Sticky":{"kvps":{"test":true}},"RightRail":{"kvps":{"test":true}},"InlineBox":{},"InlineOutstream":{"disabled":false},"Taboola":{"position":"bottom","pageType":"article","config":{"network":"abcnews-abcnews","mode":"thumbnails-a","container":"taboola-below-article-thumbnails","type":"article","targetType":"mix","placement":"Below Article Thumbnails"}}},"featuredVideo":null,"dateline":"May 10, 2010 —","seo":{},"LivePromotion":{}},"autoUpdate":{"enabled":false,"topics":["general-elections-2020-balance-of-power"]}},"upw":{"balanceOfPower":{"electoral":{"header":"Biden Projected to be President-Elect","candidates":{"democrats":{"id":1036,"displayName":"Joe Biden","shortDisplayName":"J. Biden","firstName":"Joe","lastName":"Biden","party":"democrats","major":true,"incumbent":false,"winner":true,"votes":306},"republicans":{"id":8639,"displayName":"Donald Trump","shortDisplayName":"D. Trump","firstName":"Donald","lastName":"Trump","party":"republicans","major":true,"incumbent":true,"winner":false,"votes":232},"other":{"displayName":"Other","votes":0}},"parties":{"democrats":"democrats","republicans":"republicans"},"type":"electoral","votes":{"democrats":{"available":{},"total":306,"difference":{},"popular":{"displayValue":"81,283,098","value":81283098}},"republicans":{"available":{},"total":232,"difference":{},"popular":{"displayValue":"74,222,958","value":74222958}},"other":{"available":{},"total":0,"popular":{}},"total":538},"needed":{"displayText":"270 to win","displayValue":"270","value":270},"lastUpdated":{"value":"2020-12-18T21:15:13.850Z","displayValue":"December 18, 4:15:13PM ET"},"reporting":"99% of Expected Vote Reporting"},"senate":{"header":"Senate Seat Results","candidates":{"democrats":{"displayName":"Democrats","icon":"party-democrats","votes":46,"winner":false},"republicans":{"displayName":"Republicans","icon":"party-republicans","votes":50,"winner":false},"other":{"displayName":"Other","votes":2}},"parties":{"democrats":"democrats","republicans":"republicans"},"type":"senate","votes":{"democrats":{"available":{"displayText":"12 Democrats up for election","shortDisplayText":"12 Dems. up for election","displayValue":"12","value":12},"total":46,"difference":{"displayText":"Gained 1 seat","displayValue":"1","value":1},"popular":{}},"republicans":{"available":{"displayText":"23 Republicans up for election","shortDisplayText":"23 Reps. up for election","displayValue":"23","value":23},"total":50,"difference":{"displayText":"Lost 1 seat","displayValue":"-1","value":-1},"popular":{}},"other":{"available":{"displayText":"0 Others up for election","shortDisplayText":"0 Others up for election","displayValue":"0","value":0},"total":2,"popular":{}},"total":100},"needed":{"displayText":"51 for control","displayValue":"51","value":51},"lastUpdated":{"value":"2020-12-17T18:22:05.390Z","displayValue":"December 17, 1:22:05PM ET"}},"house":{"header":"House Results: Dems Retain Control","candidates":{"democrats":{"displayName":"Democrats","icon":"party-democrats","votes":222,"winner":true},"republicans":{"displayName":"Republicans","icon":"party-republicans","votes":210,"winner":false},"other":{"displayName":"Other","votes":0}},"parties":{"democrats":"democrats","republicans":"republicans"},"type":"house","votes":{"democrats":{"available":{"displayText":"233 Democrats up for election","shortDisplayText":"233 Dems. up for election","displayValue":"233","value":233},"total":222,"difference":{"displayText":"Lost 10 seats","displayValue":"-10","value":-10},"popular":{}},"republicans":{"available":{"displayText":"201 Republicans up for election","shortDisplayText":"201 Reps. up for election","displayValue":"201","value":201},"total":210,"difference":{"displayText":"Gained 10 seats","displayValue":"10","value":10},"popular":{}},"other":{"available":{"displayText":"1 Others up for election","shortDisplayText":"1 Others up for election","displayValue":"1","value":1},"total":0,"popular":{}},"total":435},"needed":{"displayText":"218 for control","displayValue":"218","value":218},"lastUpdated":{"value":"2020-12-17T18:22:02.900Z","displayValue":"December 17, 1:22:02PM ET"}},"lastUpdated":{"value":"2020-12-18T21:15:13.850Z","displayValue":"December 18, 4:15:13PM ET"},"autoUpdate":{"enabled":false,"topics":["general-elections-2020-balance-of-power"]},"electionsConfig":{}},"types":["electoral","senate","house"]}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewabcnews,wdgasec,wdgnewabcnweb,wdgnewabcnewsrollup","ns":"abcnews","pageName":"abcn:blotter:story","pageType":"story","pageUrl":"abcnews.go.com/Blotter/mexican-politician-charged-helping-drug-cartel-smuggle-200/story?id=10604656&userab=abcn_web_article_ts-218*variant_a-818","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"abcn:site","tagID":"apage_news01","userABCookie":"abcn_web_article_ts-218*variant_a-818","alertTag":"none","authors":"ABC News","authorsBureau":"none","authorsUnit":"none","dateline":"May 10, 2010 —","id":"10604656","modDate":"2010-06-24","mediaOnPage":"none","modTime":"14:22","provider":"ABC News","pubDate":"2010-05-10","pubTime":"11:50","section":"Blotter","subBrand":"none","title":"Mexican Governor Charged With Helping Cartel Smuggle Tons of Cocaine Is Extradited to U.S. ","videoId":"none","videoName":"none","wordCount":311},"taboola":{"config":{"network":"abcnews-abcnews","mode":"thumbnails-a","type":"other","targetType":"mix","placement":null,"pageTypeOverrides":{"story":{"mode":"thumbnails-a","type":"article","targetType":"mix","placement":"Below Article Thumbnails"},"home":{"mode":"thumbnails-b","container":"taboola-homepage-thumbnails","type":"home","targetType":"mix","placement":"Homepage Thumbnails"},"section":{"mode":"thumbnails-b","type":"category","targetType":"mix","placement":"Section Front Thumbnails"},"liveBlog":{"mode":"thumbnails-d","type":"other","targetType":"mix","placement":"Blog"}}}}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/Blotter/mexican-politician-charged-helping-drug-cartel-smuggle-200/story?id=10604656&userab=abcn_web_article_ts-218*variant_a-818","vary":{"host":"abcnews.go.com","cached":true,"path":"/Blotter/mexican-politician-charged-helping-drug-cartel-smuggle-200/story","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","country":"us","userab":"abcn_web_article_ts-218*variant_a-818","region":"gdpr"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};