Sheinbaum says Farías transfer remains on track

Reporting and context

President Claudia Sheinbaum said the transfer to Mexico of Rear Adm. Fernando Farías Laguna remains on track, although a legal proceeding in Argentina has delayed it. El Diario de Juárez reported that Sheinbaum said representatives of Mexico’s Fiscalía General de la República told her the transfer was not in doubt, while she asked the agency to explain the procedure and its legal effects.

Farías Laguna was arrested in Buenos Aires on April 23 after entering Argentina with false documentation, according to the report. Argentina decided to return him to Mexico through deportation, but his defense sought to halt the process, arguing that he could face danger if returned. The FGR accuses him of organized crime related to alleged fuel smuggling, charges that Farías Laguna rejects. The accusations remain allegations, while the defense position is disputed by prosecutors.

The investigation followed the seizure of 10 million liters of fuel in Tamaulipas, the outlet reported. Farías Laguna’s brother, Vice Adm. Manuel Roberto Farías Laguna, was later arrested with other people in a separate operation described by the report as involving alleged fiscal fuel smuggling through northern customs. Farías Laguna’s lawyers say he acted as an internal whistleblower and reported suspected irregularities to senior naval officials. Those defense claims and the prosecution’s allegations have not been independently resolved in court.