Ex-Governor of Tamaulipas To Pay Up to US$9.5 Million As Part of His Plea Agreement

“MX” for Borderland Beat

Note: For an in-depth coverage of Yarrington’s background and criminal operation, please click this hyperlink for an exclusive Borderland Beat report.

The US government released the final seizure order for the former Governor of Tamaulipas, Tomás Yarrington. He will have to forfeiture between US$3.5 and up to $9.5 million, a figure investigators determined he made for 15 years while laundering money for the Gulf Cartel, Los Zetas, and the Beltran Leyva Organization (BLO).

They say that Yarrington bought multiple properties in the US with these drug proceeds. Among them included properties in San Antonio, Laredo, and Port Isabel, Texas. Yarrington faces up to 20 years in prison for his money laundering charges.

Yarrington pleaded guilty last month and will receive a soother sentence. During his plea deal, Yarrington also detailed how he accepted bribes from individuals and private companies in Mexico to do business with the state of Tamaulipas while he served as governor.

Originally, Yarrington faced up to life in prison if he had been convicted of the racketeering or drug trafficking conspiracy charges the U.S. government leveled against him eight years ago.

On more than 15,000 digital documents consisting of 100,000 pages, US investigators detailed how Yarrington took bribes from the Gulf Cartel, Los Zetas, and the BLO, and actively participated in drug trafficking operations. Authorities from multiple law enforcement agencies had pictures, information about warrants, seizures, and protected witness testimonies framing him as a top cartel figure.

Borderland Beat records show that Yarrington was a key figure in the Gulf Cartel’s ascension as one of Mexico’s leading criminal groups in the late 1990s and early 2000s. During that era, the cartel was headed by legendary kingpin Osiel Cardenas Guillen.

US prosecutors walked away from the allegations and dismissed these serious charges after Yarrington pleaded guilty.

Source: Milenio (1); (2); Borderland Beat archives

Yarrington – Plea Packet Memo by MX