Internal documents from Sinaloa's state-owned construction company, Preesforzados, Concretos y Agregados de Sinaloa (Preecasin), reviewed by Mexicanos Contra la Corrupción y la Impunidad (MCCI), reveal that between April 4 and April 23, 2024, the agency made three wire transfers to Ahavat Logistics Solution, a company the U.S. Treasury Department identified as part of a CJNG fuel-theft and money-laundering network, according to an investigative report by journalist Raúl Olmos.
The transfers, totaling 678,900 pesos, were made from a Banorte account belonging to Preecasin, a public entity established in 1987 to manufacture construction materials that has served as the Sinaloa state government's public works contractor for the past 15 years.
Preecasin's internal accounting records describe the transfers to Ahavat simply as "invoice payment," without specifying the goods or services provided.
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This Preecasin document, from the Sinaloa state government's construction company, shows payments made to Ahavat, a company the U.S. Department of the Treasury identified as part of the CJNG's organizational structure.
Ahavat is not listed in the Sinaloa state government's supplier registry or in the Compranet procurement system, making it impossible to locate a publicly available contract, bidding process, or direct award supporting the identified payments.
Connection to Another Company Serving CJNG
Ahavat Logistics was established in 2017 in Toluca and, in June 2020, obtained fuel marketing permit H/23558/COM/2020 from Mexico's Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE).
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When applying for the permit, Ahavat listed addresses in Acambay and later Metepec, both in the State of Mexico. However, as a government contractor, it reported an address in an office building on Pablo Villaseñor Street in Guadalajara—the same location where Jomadi Logistics & Cargo, another company identified by the U.S. Treasury Department as part of the fuel-smuggling money-laundering network, has operated.
Both Ahavat and Jomadi have had José Refugio Ruiz Villagómez as their majority shareholder, whom the U.S. Treasury accuses of leading a fuel-smuggling network that operated on behalf of CJNG.
In August 2017, during the administration of Enrique Peña Nieto, Jomadi obtained a permit authorizing it to import up to 9 billion liters of diesel fuel.
In March 2020, Jomadi signed a contract with Nicolás Maduro's government to receive five million barrels of Venezuelan crude oil in exchange for shipping gasoline, in a swap that was to take place through Turkish ports. Reuters reported in May 2020 that the FBI opened a fuel-trafficking investigation as a result of that operation.
Owner Also Accused
According to its articles of incorporation, Ahavat Logistics Solution was established on February 13, 2017, before a notary public in Toluca, State of Mexico, with its registered address in Metepec.
Its corporate purpose, which includes more than 40 business activities, covers, among others, the purchase, sale, import, export, distribution, and marketing of hydrocarbons, diesel fuel, and minerals of all kinds.
The company's sole administrator, with full legal authority to represent the business, is J. Refugio Ruiz Villagómez, born on August 27, 1961. That is the same name appearing in the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) alert published last Tuesday.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also added J. Refugio Ruiz Villagómez to its sanctions list for his involvement in both Jomadi and Ahavat.
FinCEN alleges that Ahavat and Jomadi smuggled fuel from the United States into Mexico without the required permits and paid fees to drug cartels and other criminal organizations controlling border crossings.
"According to investigative findings made public by Mexico's Office of the Attorney General, Jomadi is an import-export company involved in tax-related fuel smuggling. Jomadi and Ahavat have conducted transactions through the U.S. financial system totaling tens of millions of dollars with third parties linked to CJNG who have been involved in fuel-smuggling activities," the FinCEN document states.
Payments During Rocha Moya's Administration
The payments made by Sinaloa's state-owned construction company, Preecasin, to Ahavat took place during the administration of Rubén Rocha Moya, who had served as governor of Sinaloa since November 2021 and took a leave of absence after a formal indictment filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York accused him this year of acting for the benefit of Los Chapitos, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel.
According to that federal indictment, Rocha Moya met with Iván and Ovidio Guzmán López—then leaders of Los Chapitos—before his election. The indictment alleges they ordered cartel gunmen to steal ballots and kidnap opposition candidates to ensure his victory in the June 2021 election. In exchange, prosecutors allege, Rocha Moya agreed to appoint officials aligned with Los Chapitos to key state security positions.
The indictment also describes monthly cash payments from the criminal organization to at least six state and municipal officials in his administration—including Sinaloa's then-deputy attorney general, the head of the State Attorney General's Office investigative police, and the state secretary of public security—in exchange for protecting the cartel's operations.
Beginning in 2025, news reports—and later the Mexican federal government itself—documented a tactical alliance between CJNG and Los Chapitos to confront "La Mayiza," the rival faction within the Sinaloa Cartel.
On June 16, 2026, Mexico's Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, confirmed during the presidential morning press conference that CJNG, under the leadership of Nemesio Oseguera, known as "El Mencho," financed and dispatched gunmen to support Los Chapitos in southern Sinaloa. Harfuch said there is no evidence that the alliance continued following El Mencho's death on February 22, 2026, although he did not rule out the possibility that it could be reestablished.
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