Report Links Accused Money Launderer to Rafael Marín Mollinedo’s Campaign

Cancún, Quintana Roo — An investigation by the anti-corruption group Mexicanos Contra la Corrupción y la Impunidad (MCCI) has documented ties between a man accused by Mexican and U.S. authorities of laundering money for a Romanian crime ring and Rafael Marín Mollinedo, the former head of Mexico’s National Customs Agency (ANAM) who is now seeking Morena’s gubernatorial nomination in Quintana Roo.

The investigation, also reported by the newspaper Reforma, centers on Alejandro Enrique Arcos Romero. MCCI says Arcos Romero worked within ANAM during Marín Mollinedo’s tenure as director from December 2022 to June 2025. Official records show he participated in agency activities: a December 2022 handover document for ANAM’s leadership change lists him as a witness, and an April 2023 document tied to the “Tianguis del Bienestar” program identifies him as a director general attached to the agency.

Accused of ties to ‘Romanian mafia’

Mexican and U.S. authorities have identified Arcos Romero as a financial operator for a network involved in fraud and money laundering, including bank card cloning targeting tourists in Cancún. MCCI links the network to Florian Tudor, a Romanian national known as “El Tiburón.”

In February 2021, Mexico’s Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) blocked the bank accounts of 79 individuals and companies as part of “Operation Caribbean.” The U.S. Department of Justice also requested that his accounts be frozen, and the UIF identified Arcos Romero as responsible for 14 shell companies allegedly used to launder money.

Despite the accusations, Arcos Romero was never arrested. MCCI’s investigation now places him in Marín Mollinedo’s political orbit.

Campaign presence

MCCI documented Arcos Romero at public events with the former ANAM director, including Marín Mollinedo’s registration on June 26 as an aspirant in Morena’s internal process at the World Trade Center in Mexico City. He has also appeared with Marín Mollinedo at events in Quintana Roo.

The investigation also mentions Alex Tonatiuh Márquez Hernández, former director of customs research at ANAM, who left his post in December after corruption allegations and reports that U.S. authorities had revoked his visa. MCCI additionally notes that Arcos Romero filed an application with the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) to register the trademark “Rafa Marín” as Marín Mollinedo’s legal representative.

The accusations against Arcos Romero stem from investigations by authorities and do not constitute a conviction.