Federal Judge Upholds Drug Sentence of Former Quintana Roo Governor Mario Villanueva

Mexico City — A federal judge has rejected a request to reduce or modify the prison sentence of Mario Villanueva Madrid, the former governor of Quintana Roo, who is serving 35 years and nine months for drug trafficking and organized crime, according to El Financiero.

The ruling came from the head of the Sixth District Court Specialized in Execution of Sentences in Mexico City, who found no legal grounds to change the sentence despite the defense’s arguments about Villanueva’s age and health.

The judge also concluded that Villanueva remains responsible for criminal association and crimes against public health for facilitating drug trafficking while he was a public official, keeping the conviction in force.

Villanueva is currently under house arrest, a benefit granted to him in 2020 for health reasons during the COVID-19 pandemic. His lawyers continue to file legal challenges to prevent his return to the Federal Center for Psychosocial Rehabilitation (Ceferepsi) in Morelos, following a prior order for him to be sent back to federal prison.

The defense has appealed the ruling, and a Collegiate Appeals Court will now decide whether to uphold, modify, or overturn it.

Villanueva served as governor of Quintana Roo from 1993 to 1999. After leaving office, he was investigated for alleged links to the Juárez Cartel, arrested in 2001, extradited to the United States in 2010 on money laundering charges, and repatriated to Mexico in 2017 to continue serving his sentences.