Ambassador to Canada accused of links to organized crime

Carlos Joaquín, former governor of Quintana Roo and current Mexican ambassador to Canada, has been accused of covering up extortion and facilitating organized crime operations in the Riviera Maya. The accusations, launched by former Secretary Gabriel Mendicuti, have shaken the Mexican Foreign Service.

Diplomatic tranquility was shaken by an explosive statement: Gabriel Mendicuti Loría, former Secretary of Government of Quintana Roo, publicly accused Ambassador Carlos Joaquín González of allowing the expansion of organized crime in the state during his term as governor (2016–2022).

During an interview on Playa FM 103.1, Mendicuti claimed that one of the former governor's sons was directly involved in extortion, acting as an "intermediary with the cartels" and collecting "peño de piso" from local business owners.

"They're going to blow him up in the coming weeks," Mendicuti warned, asserting that the criminal environment surrounding the young man represents a high risk, even to his own safety.

Carlos Joaquín came to power through an alliance between the PAN and the PRD, in an attempt to break away from the PRI governments that dominated Quintana Roo for decades. However, after concluding his term, he distanced himself from both parties and moved closer to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, supporting federal projects such as the Mayan Train.

This political closeness catapulted him into diplomacy: he was appointed Mexican ambassador to Canada, a position ratified by current President Claudia Sheinbaum just weeks ago.

The figures from his administration are not encouraging. During Carlos Joaquín's six-year term, intentional homicides in Quintana Roo soared by more than 180% compared to his predecessor. Despite spearheading the arrest of his predecessor, Roberto Borge, his administration was harshly criticized for allowing the fragmentation of criminal power in the region.

Paradoxically, many of the accusations of looting state assets committed under Borge were prosecuted during Joaquín's administration. However, his close ties to individuals accused of extortion now raise suspicions of the possible continuation of criminal networks under a new political facade.

To date, Ambassador Carlos Joaquín González has not issued any statement regarding the accusations. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also not offered an official position on the case, while calls for a thorough investigation are growing on social media.

The seriousness of the accusations not only calls into question Joaquín's suitability as a diplomatic representative, but also calls into question the mechanisms for evaluating and approving officials with questionable track records.

The testimony of Mendicuti, who collaborated with the now imprisoned Roberto Borge, is part of a chain of accusations that cross political parties and administrations. The line separating politics from organized crime in Quintana Roo appears, based on the facts, to be increasingly thin.

Meanwhile, business owners in the Riviera Maya report that extortion has become a common practice for years, coinciding with the period in which the son of the now ambassador allegedly operated, according to the accusations.

Public pressure is mounting. Civil society organizations and voices on social media are demanding that the Attorney General's Office open an investigation into Carlos Joaquín and his inner circle. The suspicion that illicit funds may have financed his 2016 campaign has rekindled calls for transparency and justice.

Meanwhile, in Canada, his presence as Mexican ambassador could turn into a diplomatic crisis if the case escalates internationally.