Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche — Two Costa Rican businessmen convicted of money laundering in the United States were among the passengers on a small plane that made an emergency landing on a beach in Ciudad del Carmen, raising suspicions of possible illicit activities linked to the incident.
Luis Alejandro Giralt Apéstegui, 49, and Carlos Chinchilla Jiménez, 53, both sentenced in 2014 by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York for money laundering and conspiracy, were traveling with family members and associates aboard the aircraft, according to local reports.
The plane, registration N35VC, departed from Culiacán, Sinaloa, bound for Cancún, Quintana Roo, with stops in Mexico City and Ciudad del Carmen. Seconds after taking off from the island airport, the pilot reported a loss of oil pressure, forcing an emergency landing on Playa Norte, a popular beach area.
Also on board were Adriana Hernández, 50, identified as Giralt Apéstegui’s partner, and her children Javier Monge Hernández, 25, and Adriana Monge Hernández, 23. The pilots were Daniel Sánchez Ibarra, 22, and André García de la Hoz, 31.
The aircraft is owned by The Banc Of Us, a financial technology platform where Giralt Apéstegui serves as CEO.
Previous Convictions
In May 2013, Giralt Apéstegui, Chinchilla Jiménez, and a third associate, Francisco Delgado, were arrested in New York by the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service, and New York police on charges of money laundering and conspiracy.
Chinchilla Jiménez and Delgado pleaded guilty later that year. Giralt Apéstegui initially pleaded not guilty but changed his plea in March 2014 and was sentenced to five years in prison on July 30, 2014.
Previous Plane Incident
In 2016, Costa Rican authorities found a crashed plane on a private farm in Pochote, Paquera. The aircraft, registration TI-ANT, belonged to Giralt Apéstegui. No occupants were found, but authorities suspected the plane may have been used for illicit activities after discovering empty containers that likely held fuel or other substances.
Investigations into the Ciudad del Carmen incident are ongoing.
