Federal Judge Blocks Prison Return for Ex-Quintana Roo Governor Mario Villanueva

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — A federal judge has overturned an order to transfer former Quintana Roo governor Mario Villanueva Madrid from house arrest to prison, citing his deteriorating health as grounds to maintain his current confinement.

Judge Reyna Oliva Fuentes López ruled that Villanueva Madrid, 77, who is serving a 36-year sentence for drug trafficking, can remain at a residence in the Andara subdivision of Chetumal. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office can still appeal the decision.

Villanueva Madrid announced the ruling on his active Facebook account, stating that a medical report from the ISSSTE (Institute for Social Security and Services for State Workers) contributed to the favorable outcome. The report documented serious chronic degenerative conditions including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with allergic bronchial asthma, restrictive lung disease, and chronic respiratory failure.

His defense team filed for the protective order on May 9, 2025, after Mexico City’s Sixth District Court Specialized in Sentence Enforcement, at the request of federal prosecutors, ordered his transfer from house arrest to a prison in Cuautla, Morelos. That facility also holds former Quintana Roo governor Roberto Borge Angulo.

Judge Oliva granted a definitive suspension nearly a year ago that prevented Villanueva Madrid’s transfer during the legal proceedings, which concluded with the March 30 ruling.

Villanueva Madrid served as governor from 1993 to 1999. Authorities arrested him in May 2001 outside Cancún. Federal prosecutors accused him of facilitating drug shipments via aircraft using state landing strips during his administration.

In a March 2025 interview, Villanueva Madrid maintained his prosecution was politically motivated, claiming he refused to participate in alleged business ventures that former president Ernesto Zedillo’s family sought to establish in the Riviera Maya. He denied all charges and presented documents alleging he was targeted with fabricated drug trafficking accusations.