Organized Crime, Treason, Money Laundering: PAN Lawmakers Ask Mexico’s Federal Prosecutors to Investigate Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar, a Week After the U.S. Sanctioned Her Ex-Husband
Four federal deputies from Mexico’s opposition National Action Party (PAN) filed a criminal complaint on Oct. 5, 2026, asking Mexico’s federal prosecutor’s office (FGR) to investigate Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda, El Financiero and Infobae reported. The Rio Times counts 14 alleged crimes, from organized crime and treason to money laundering and arms trafficking. The filing comes a week after the U.S. Treasury sanctioned her ex-husband, Carlos Torres Torres, as an alleged ally of the Los Mayos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel in Tijuana and Mexicali, across from Calexico. These are the lawmakers’ accusations. The governor has not been charged.
What the PAN deputies allege
El Financiero (Oct. 5) reports that Deputy César Damián Retes filed the complaint with Eva María Vázquez, Federico Döring and Jorge Triana. They allege that public money was diverted and money laundered through firms such as Vida Orgánica, a company on Treasury’s list. They say the governor profited from shares she recently gave away. “Marina del Pilar owes an explanation to the families of Baja California,” Retes said. He added that it was Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), “and not the prosecutor’s office,” that found the companies laundering cartel money.
Infobae notes that outlets list the crimes differently. The deputies asked the governor to step aside during any investigation. Infobae found no FGR statement on whether it will open a case.
The governor’s side
Infobae reports that the governor says she is not among those sanctioned, that her contact with Torres is limited to their son’s welfare, and that she knows of no U.S. investigation against her. On Oct. 2 she ordered a review of state contracts with OFAC-listed firms. Accounts of her Vida Orgánica stake differ. The Rio Times says her office dates her transfer to Torres to April 27, 2023. Infobae quotes PAN’s Baja California leader, Lizbeth Mata, saying she was a partner until September. Torres has denied any criminal ties.
What comes next
The Sept. 29 Treasury action named 21 people and 25 companies tied to Los Mayos. On Sept. 30, PAN state lawmakers filed a separate complaint against Torres, his brother Luis Alfonso Torres and Pedro Ariel Mendívil, Infobae reports. The party also plans to seek impeachment (juicio político) through its federal deputies.
Sources
- El Financiero (Crisstian Villicaña): “Diputados del PAN denuncian a Marina del Pilar ante FGR por presunta relación con crimen organizado” (Oct. 5, 2026)
- Infobae (Itzallana López Castillo): “PAN denuncia a Marina del Pilar ante FGR tras sanciones de EEUU a su exesposo” (Oct. 5, 2026)
- The Rio Times: “Baja California Governor Faces PAN Complaint to Prosecutors” (Oct. 6, 2026)
- U.S. Department of the Treasury: “Treasury Sanctions Sinaloa Cartel Leadership and Corruption Networks” (Sept. 29, 2026)
- Photos: Cuartoscuro, via El Financiero; PAN handout, via 88.9 Noticias
Reported Oct. 6, 2026, from Mexican and international press reports and a U.S. Treasury release. A criminal complaint is an accusation, not a finding. Gov. Marina del Pilar Ávila has not been charged or sanctioned, and the FGR had not said publicly whether it will investigate.