Mexican drug money is linked to horse racing

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Mexican drug money is linked to horse racing

Article by: TIM TALLEY and JUAN CARLOS LLORCA ASSOCIATED PRESS
Updated: June 12, 2012 - 9:26 PM

U.S. agents staged raids at the Ruidoso Downs track and a horse farm in Oklahoma, alleging money laundering.

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OKLAHOMA CITY - Federal agents raided a sprawling ranch in Oklahoma and a quarter horse track in New Mexico on Tuesday, alleging the brother of a high-ranking member of a Mexican drug cartel used a horse-breeding operation to launder money.

An indictment unsealed Tuesday accused Miguel Angel Trevino Morales, a key figure in the Zetas drug operation, of setting up a horse operation that a younger brother operated from a ranch near Lexington, Okla., south of Oklahoma City. Millions of dollars went through the operation, which bought, trained, bred and raced quarter horses throughout the southwest United States, including the famed Ruidoso Downs track in New Mexico.

"This case is a prime example of the ability of Mexican drug cartels to establish footholds in legitimate U.S. industries and highlights the serious threat money laundering causes to our financial system," said Richard Weber, the chief of the IRS' criminal investigation unit.

Seven of the 14 people indicted were arrested, including Jose Trevino Morales and his wife, Zulema. Another Trevino brother was also charged.

Prosecutors asked that no bond be set for Trevino, fearing he would either flee or intimidate witnesses. Neither Trevino nor his lawyer, Tony Lacy, commented, and a lawyer for Zulema Trevino said he knew little about the case.

The indictment describes how the Trevino brothers and a network of others allegedly arranged to purchase quarter horses with drug money and disguise the source of the funds used to buy them so that the Zetas' involvement would be masked. They would often pay in cash, or use fake names, which helped keep the owners and the money a secret.

Since 2008, the operation racked up millions of dollars in transactions in California, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, prosecutors said.

The operation, Tremor Enterprises LLC, started small, but worked in plain sight. Some horses carried names with drug references, such as Coronita Cartel. Over time, the horses and the operation earned a place on some of the most elite stages in the industry.

One horse, named Mr. Piloto, won a $1 million prize at Ruidoso Downs on Labor Day 2010, going off at odds of 22-1.

The Zetas are one of Mexico's two most powerful drug cartels. The cartel was blamed for the 2010 massacre of 72 Central American migrants in the Texas border state of Tamaulipas.