US Revokes Visas of Cancun Mayor Ana Paty Peralta and Family

Mexico City — The United States has revoked the visas of Ana Patricia “Ana Paty” Peralta de la Peña, the mayor of Benito Juárez, Quintana Roo — the municipality that includes Cancún — as well as those of her husband, Lucio Galileo Lastra Abreu, and her father-in-law, Lucio Galileo Lastra Escudero, sources with knowledge of the case told El Financiero.

The U.S. government has not made public the specific reasons for the cancellations, and it has not been established that the visa revocations are directly tied to the investigations underway in Mexico.

Separately, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office (FGR) is investigating Peralta for the alleged embezzlement of public funds, suspected operations related to fuel smuggling — known in Mexico as “huachicol fiscal” — and possible contacts with people connected to the Sinaloa Cartel, according to information reviewed by El Financiero.

Municipal funds and fuel smuggling under federal scrutiny

The federal inquiry includes lines related to the management of resources and structures in the Benito Juárez municipal government, whose seat is Cancún, one of Mexico’s most economically and touristically important municipalities. One line seeks to determine whether public funds, personnel, or municipal structures were used to politically benefit Rafael Marín Mollinedo, former director of the National Customs Agency (ANAM) and a contender in the race for the Quintana Roo governorship.

The FGR is trying to establish the origin and destination of the funds under investigation, who allegedly ordered their use, how they were allegedly channeled, and which officials may have taken part.

In the fuel-smuggling line, federal prosecutors have examined case file 325/2025, registered at the Federal Criminal Justice Center in the State of Mexico, based in Almoloya de Juárez. The existence of that case does not by itself mean Marín is charged in it.

One of the cases under investigation focuses on operations attributed to Ingemar, S.A. de C.V., in connection with the irregular entry of fuel using rail tanker cars. Information linked to the probe indicates the network is believed to have brought in 163 rail tanker cars carrying more than 18 million liters of fuel before it was detected.

Marín has publicly denied the corruption allegations and has said that during his tenure ANAM itself detected the irregularities and filed complaints. The FGR will be responsible for determining individual liability and whether there are grounds to act against officials or former officials.

Sinaloa Cartel links under scrutiny

The investigation also includes alleged contacts or relationships with people linked to the Sinaloa Cartel. Authorities are seeking to determine the nature and scope of those possible relationships, identify those involved, and establish whether there is any connection between this line of inquiry, the suspected fuel-smuggling operations, and the possible diversion of public funds.

Prosecutors still must determine whether those contacts have criminal relevance and whether there is sufficient evidence to move toward a formal case. The current lines are ministerial inquiries; the allegations do not constitute proven facts or imply criminal liability for the people named.

Visa actions affect three family members

In addition to Peralta, the U.S. decisions affect her husband and her father-in-law, making up three members of the Peralta-Lastra family circle. The specific reasons for the U.S. visa cancellations have not been disclosed, and no direct link between those decisions and the FGR investigation has been established.

Political timing ahead of 2027 election

The case comes at a sensitive time for Quintana Roo, where the contest for the governorship in the 2027 midterm elections is beginning to intensify. Peralta and Marín have both figured in the political landscape surrounding the state succession. The investigation into the possible use of municipal resources to support a political project adds a high-impact element to that race.