Guadalupe Lizárraga Miércoles, 21 de Enero del 2026, 11:46
Federal investigators are examining alleged financial and political ties involving the governor’s ex-husband in Baja California.
By Guadalupe Lizárraga
Carlos Torres Torres, the former husband of Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda, was summoned in October 2025 by Mexico’s Office of the Attorney General (FGR) as part of a federal investigation into alleged money laundering, according to subpoenas and official documents confirmed by Los Ángeles Press.
Dated October 29 and 30 and November 18, the federal inquiry also listed the names of Luis Alfonso Torres Torres, Ismael Burgueño Ruiz, and Fernando Rafael Salgado Chávez, among others.
New investigative lines incorporated into a formal complaint filed with the FGR in 2025 have since broadened the scope of the case. In addition to money laundering, authorities are now examining alleged links to drug trafficking and arms smuggling—charges that remain under investigation and have not yet been formally prosecuted.
The federal probe also reaches Pedro Ariel Mendívil García, former director of Municipal Public Security in Mexicali. He is accused in the same complaint of allegedly financing, through monthly bribes of up to $150,000, a Sinaloa Cartel cell known as Los Rusos, in exchange for institutional protection and freedom to operate in Baja California.
These inquiries converge with earlier investigations by Los Ángeles Press. Since 2024, this outlet has documented the existence of a cross-border political and financial network allegedly led by businessman Fernando Rafael Salgado Chávez.
That network has been linked to the alleged diversion of public funds, money laundering, and illicit political financing in both Mexico and the United States.
Following those reports, Salgado Chávez attempted to intimidate this journalist by sending legal threat letters through an international law firm that is part of the legal team defending French President Emmanuel Macron—a fact documented by Los Angeles Press.
Bribes, criminal protection, and allegations under investigation
According to sources familiar with the federal case file, Carlos Alberto Torres Torres—former coordinator of Special Projects for the state government—allegedly served as a political intermediary between criminal operators and institutional structures.
FGR investigative lines indicate that Pedro Ariel Mendívil García allegedly delivered recurring payments to operators linked to Torres in order to guarantee protection for Los Rusos, identified as an active Sinaloa Cartel cell in Baja California.
The federal investigation reinforces a pattern of business activities that Los Angeles Press has documented for years.
Corporate and real estate records, along with testimony gathered by this outlet, describe a network operating through shell companies established in Mexico and the United States. These structures allegedly simulated commercial activity to conceal the origin of funds. The money crossed the border and later resurfaced as high-value real estate assets in the United States.
According to the FGR, part of these flows was covertly channeled into local political campaigns to sustain or promote aligned candidates.
Within this framework, the federal case file identifies Luis Alfonso Torres Torres, Carlos Torres’ brother, as a suspected financial operator. He is alleged to have managed money movements through paper companies and directed funds into political structures. This line of investigation remains open and has not been judicialized.
Previous Los Angeles Press investigations identified Fernando Rafael Salgado Chávez as a central operator in a transnational real estate and financial model. The scheme relied on the creation of corporations with interchangeable partners, virtual addresses, and capital triangulation mechanisms between Mexico and the United States.
In earlier reporting, this network was also linked to operators associated with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
Customs extortion and border control
According to the FGR, authorities are investigating alleged systematic extortion schemes at Baja California customs checkpoints. Imported goods were allegedly detained deliberately to demand payments from business owners in exchange for their release.
The proceeds were allegedly funneled through intermediaries, including notary public Ulises Ramírez Loya, identified as a suspected recipient and distributor of the funds.
Investigative lines also include arms trafficking, drug trafficking, and the movement of large sums of cash. Taken together, these elements point to a binational narco-corruption scheme that remains under investigation.
Leaks, subpoenas, and political fallout
The case entered the public arena following the leak of federal subpoenas issued to public officials and business figures. Those named include Ismael Burgueño Ruiz, mayor of Tijuana; Armando Ayala Robles, former mayor of Ensenada and current senator; Carlos Torres and his brother Luis Alfonso; and businessman Fernando Rafael Salgado Chávez.
According to federal sources, those summoned were required to appear either as suspects or as witnesses, depending on the case. The leaks triggered a political crisis in Baja California and intensified public scrutiny over the penetration of criminal interests into the state’s government structures.
Against this backdrop, Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda announced her personal separation from Carlos Torres and refrained from making substantive statements. There are currently no direct criminal charges against her. However, agents from a U.S. intelligence unit based in Los Angeles confirmed to Los Angeles Press that she is considered a person of interest, due to the presence of operators linked to the network in strategic areas of her administration—particularly in public security and the prosecutor’s office.
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