Miss Universe Owner Charged in Narco and Fuel Theft Case

Mexico City. Businessman Raúl Rocha Cantú from Monterrey, owner of the Miss Universe pageant, has been imputed by the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic (FGR) for his alleged participation in a network dedicated to drug trafficking, weapons, and fuel between Guatemala and Mexico. This was reported in an article by the newspaper Reforma.

According to the investigation, the criminal organization led by Rocha Cantú allegedly operated through fuel smuggling transported in tanker trucks from Chiapas and Tabasco to Querétaro, using river routes along the Usumacinta River for this purpose.

The investigation file (FED/FEMDO/FEITATA-MEX/0000928/2024) was opened after an anonymous complaint filed in November 2024, which detailed names of accomplices and alleged links to the sale of weapons and illicit fuel.

According to journalist Carlos Loret de Mola—who followed the case on his X account—the imputation of the businessman makes him what he called “narco-Miss Universe,” a scandal that mixes the entertainment industry, criminal networks, and hydrocarbon trafficking.

“I can exclusively reveal to you that the owner of Miss Universe, Raúl Rocha Cantú, has taken refuge in the FGR’s witness protection program, after the federal government itself obtained an arrest warrant against him for fuel theft and arms trafficking for the narco.”

— Carlos Loret de Mola (@CarlosLoret) November 26, 2025

In the face of the accusations, authorities revealed that Rocha Cantú allegedly sought to avail himself of an opportunity criterion, in an attempt to negotiate collaboration with the FGR in exchange for being cleared of charges.

The case has already generated strong controversy surrounding the legitimacy of the pageant, its links to illicit activities, and the transparency of its organization.