The U.S. Treasury Department has moved against a group of Albanian mobsters based in Mexico that worked with the Sinaloa Cartel to launder money through casinos and entertainment businesses. The move was coordinated with Mexican authorities, who began shutting down 13 casinos this week that had been transferring money to Romania, Switzerland, Malta, and the United Arab Emirates.
In a prepared statement, the U.S. Treasury identified the Albanian HYSA Organized Crime Group, which owns several casinos, restaurants, and entertainment businesses in Mexico that were used to launder funds for the Sinaloa Cartel.
The HYSA group is described as a criminal organization led by Albanian family members Luftar Hysa (Luftar), Arben Hysa (Arben), Ramiz Hysa (Ramiz), Fatos Hysa (Fatos), and Fabjon Hysa (Fabjon. Treasury officials identify Luftar Hysa, who resides in Mexico and Canada, as the leader of the organization, which has a public profile as a business magnate. Despite their professional appearance, the Hysas had close ties to various criminal organizations, including the Sinaloa Cartel. As part of the actions against the HYSA organization, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned individual members and nearly 20 of their businesses in Mexico, Canada, and Poland. The businesses included restaurants, casinos, entertainment venues, and fuel-related companies. As part of the sanctions, the Treasury moved to freeze any assets owned by those on the list and prohibited any U.S. citizens or companies from doing business with them.
In Mexico, Secretary of Public Safety Omar Garcia Harfuch revealed this week that his agents, along with Mexico’s Financial Investigations Unit (UIF), were working to shut down 13 casinos that they claim were laundering money for the Sinaloa Cartel. According to Harfuch, those casinos would manipulate financial and tax statements to allow criminal organizations to launder illicit funds.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
