Tamaulipas Ex-Governor To Be Released From US Prison This Year

“Morogris” for Borderland Beat

Tomás Yarrington Ruvalcaba, the former Governor of the border state of Tamaulipas, is set to be released from prison on November 2024 instead of December 2025. His early release is attributed to the time he has already served while incarcerated in Italy. Yarrington is currently held at the Federal Correctional Institution in Thomson, Illinois (FCI Thomson).

As Yarrington lacks U.S. citizenship, his release will likely result in deportation to Mexico. Presently, there is no indication of any impending alteration in his legal status or a prospect for him to remain in the U.S. under witness protection.

In Mexico, Yarrington faces numerous charges, including money laundering and drug trafficking. Following the typical procedure for high-profile deportations, it is anticipated that Mexican authorities will promptly re-arrest Yarrington upon his release at an international port of entry.

Background

Yarrington was the Governor of Tamaulipas from 1999 to 2005, and an aspiring presidential candidate in the 2006 elections. During his governorship, he was accused of protecting the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas by taking millions in bribes. Among his formal charges include racketeering, drug trafficking, money laundering and bank fraud. After fleeing Mexico, Yarrington was arrested in Florence, Italy, in 2017 and extradited to the U.S. the following year.

In 2021, Yarrington pleaded guilty and said he accepted $3.5 million in illegal bribe money and used it fraudulently to purchase multiple assets, including airplanes, a South Padre Island condo, a residence in Port Isabel, homes in McAllen and an Austin suburb and a partial ownership in a planned mixed-use development off La Cantera Parkway in San Antonio.

As part of the plea, 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. This plea, however, meant that his alleged crimes that directly tied him to Mexican cartels were dropped. He was sentenced to nine (9) years in prison in March 2023.

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. 

In 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 Beltran Leyva Cartel, 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 kingpin Osiel Cardenas Guillen. US prosecutors walked away from the allegations and dismissed these serious charges after Yarrington pleaded guilty.

Sources: Milenio (registration required); El Universal; Borderland Beat archives