Cancún Mayor’s Husband: The Lord of the Tithes Exposed

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Lucio Galileo Lastra Abreu, the husband of Benito Juárez Mayor Ana Patricia Peralta de la Peña, has been identified as the individual tasked with soliciting funds from powerful families and business groups supporting the mayor, who is seeking re-election. Lastra Abreu, the owner of at least 12 companies, has also become known as "the lord of the tithes," as his influence is reportedly used to collect a percentage from recent public works and procurement contracts awarded by the municipality.

A Network of Businesses

The companies in which Lucio Galileo Lastra Abreu appears include at least 12 entities. Among them are Inmobiliaria AM 1 y 3 S.A. de C.V., Servicios de Capital Humano Deimos S.A. de C.V., Promotora de lo Natural S.A. de C.V., and Marine Experiences S.A. de C.V., all located in Cancún. Other companies include Agronegocios El Tintal S.P.R. de R.L. de C.V. and Tierra Prospera Capital para el Campo S.A. de C.V. in Villahermosa, Tabasco; Insumos Médicos de Alta Calidad S.A. de C.V. in Tecate, Jalisco; Compañía Agropecuaria El Potrero S.P.R. de R.L. in Emiliano Zapata; Lasbro&abreu S.A. de C.V. in Guadalajara, Jalisco; Heavy Weight S.A. de C.V. in Mexico City; Distribuidora de Maquinaria Comercial Técnica S.A. de C.V. in Playa del Carmen; and Surtidora y Prestadora de Servicios Lummo S.A. de C.V. in Guadalajara.

Powerful Business Partners

Among Lastra Abreu's business partners are powerful entrepreneurs who have allegedly received direct benefits from the Benito Juárez municipal government through other companies used for invoicing, from which the so-called "tithe" is requested.

In Promotora de lo Natural S.A. de C.V., he shares a 50 percent stake in the company with Daniela Orozco Schmidt. She, along with her brother Germán, are majority partners in one of the two shipping companies accused of monopolistic practices in Quintana Roo, Navieras Magna S.A. de C.V., known as Ultramar. Other partners in Ultramar include Otoniel Gómez Ayala, Jacqueline Gabrielle del Rosario Zetina Schnabel, Andrea, Germán Orozco Schmidt, Mauricio, and Emilio Orozco Rodríguez.

It is noted that Daniela Orozco Schmidt owns nine other companies providing shipping services that dominate the coastal areas of both the Caribbean Sea and the Laguna Nichupté. These companies are Operadora Ganadora GMO S.A. de C.V.; Naviera Carga Más Por Menos S.A. de C.V.; Naviera Laguna Nichupté S.A. de C.V.; Operadora Marina Ganadora S.A. de C.V.; Operadora Lagunar GMO S.A. de C.V.; Marina Ganadora S.A. de C.V.; Gama Organización Litoral, S.A. de C.V.; and Flamingo RS S.A. de C.V., all based in Cancún.

Real Estate and Broader Business Interests

Founded in 2018, Inmobiliaria AM 1 y 3 S.A. de C.V. lists Lucio Galileo Lastra Abreu as a shareholder with 20 shares; Jorge Abraham Guaida Zacarías with 40 shares; and José Armando de Jesús Juárez Duran. The company's corporate purpose includes urbanizing, subdividing, buying, selling, and generally trading all types of real estate. It also has the authority to manage properties and carry out acts for the direction, supervision, coordination, planning, and execution of constructions, subdivisions, and works of any nature, as well as the purchase, sale, leasing, subleasing, administration, maintenance, construction, and supervision of all types of real estate.

In the company Servicios de Capital Humano Deimos S.A. de C.V., the husband of the Benito Juárez mayor shares shares with Javier Pérez Rogel, who is the general director of Solei México. This company has a broad range of potential services, from the purchase and sale of all types of vehicles to city-wide signage and even the creation of municipal norms and regulations.

In Marine Experiences S.A. de C.V., Lastra Abreu shares shares with Fernando González Contreras. The company is dedicated to the acquisition, disposal, rental, exploitation, administration, and promotion of all types of vessels for private or public tourist activities, as well as the operation and promotion of aquatic and recreational activities. It is also involved in the trade, manufacturing, distribution, import, export, commission, and representation of all kinds of boats, vessels, equipment, articles, parts, and goods related to nautical, sports, or commercial activities.

Family Business Ventures in Tabasco

In Agronegocios El Tintal S.P.R. de R.L. de C.V., the husband of the mayor seeking re-election shares shares with his father, Lucio Galileo Lastra Escudero, a doctor and businessman from Tabasco linked to some politicians and IMSS officials. This company's corporate purpose includes the production, planting, cultivation, harvest, and/or commercialization of plants used for palm oil production, among other types, as well as livestock, aquaculture, forestry, and various crops.

Lucio Galileo Lastra Abreu also shares shares with his father, uncles, and siblings in Compañía Agropecuaria el Potrero S.P.R. de R.L., a Tabasco-based company dedicated to the production of rice, sorghum, corn, aquaculture, forestry, and various crops.

Other Business Connections

In Playa del Carmen, the Distribuidora de Maquinaria Comercial Técnica S.A. de C.V. sees Lastra Abreu sharing shares with Hugo Antonio Zúñiga García. This company, dedicated to the purchase, sale, import, export, distribution, promotion, and commercialization of all types of construction equipment, machinery, and articles, was created in 2011 and benefited from contracts awarded by former municipal president Filiberto Martínez Méndez.

The constitutional acts of the remaining companies are encrypted; however, queries relate them to Lucio Galileo Lastra Abreu. It has emerged that the mayor's husband has at least 10 other companies with notarial registration that have not been uploaded to the platform of the Ministry of Commerce but do appear in the state and municipal supplier registries.

Allegations of Influence Peddling

Businesspeople who denounce the misuse of public office have revealed that, with the approaching electoral process, requests for financial support have begun from the business sector to guarantee the candidate's victory, which they are sure will be Ana Patricia Peralta de la Peña.

The full list of companies provided is:

• Inmobiliaria AM 1 y 3 S.A. de C.V.
• Servicios de Capital Humano Deimos S.A. de C.V.
• Promotora de lo Natural S.A. de C.V.
• Marine Experiences S.A. de C.V.
• Agronegocios El Tintal S.P.R. de R.L. de C.V.
• Tierra Prospera Capital para el Campo S.A. de C.V.
• Insumos Médicos de Alta Calidad S.A. de C.V.
• Compañía Agropecuaria El Potrero S.P.R. de R.L.
• Lasbro&abreu S.A. de C.V.
• Heavy Weight S.A. de C.V.
• Distribuidora de Maquinaria Comercial Técnica S.A. de C.V.
• Surtidora y Prestadora de Servicios Lummo S.A. de C.V.