Raúl Rocha, president and part-owner of the Miss Universe Organization, is said to be facing serious criminal accusations in Mexico.
Prosecutors reportedly claimed that Rocha is suspected of participating in a criminal network involved in trafficking drugs, weapons and stolen fuel along the Guatemala–Mexico border, per a report from the Mexican newspaper Reforma published Wednesday.
The allegations are said to have stemmed from an investigation by Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office, which claimed Rocha held a leadership role in a group that smuggled fuel across the Usumacinta River and then transported it by truck into central Mexico, including the state of Querétaro.
Officials also alleged that the same network handled narcotics and firearms, as well.
Reforma reported that authorities carried out raids on several properties connected to Rocha and that, during those searches, investigators allegedly found financial records indicating he contributed money to the criminal organization.
One document reportedly showed Rocha had made a payment of roughly 2.1 million pesos. Based on those findings, prosecutors moved forward with a request for an arrest warrant back in August.
Prosecutors went on to claim the criminal group had purported ties to officials at various levels of government, giving it access, protection and influence that allowed illegal fuel and other contraband to move more freely throughout the region.
The case suggested the network stretched far beyond trafficking and into political connections.
Reforma additionally reported that Rocha approached prosecutors in October to seek a plea deal.
As part of that reported proposal, the Miss Universe owner would allegedly provide info in exchange for immunity from prosecution.
It is currently unclear if that plea offer was accepted or whether negotiations are ongoing, per the Mexican newspaper.
Rocha, meanwhile, has denied any wrongdoing.
“It is completely false that I have an arrest warrant,” he told the Spanish outlet El País when asked about the case this week.
The Post has reached out to the Miss Universe Organization for comment.
The accusations against Rocha follow a troubled and dramatic time for the Miss Universe pageant.
This year’s competition, which ended when Miss Mexico Fátima Bosch, 25, was crowned the winner on Nov. 21, faced turmoil marked by contestant walkouts, judge resignations and accusations of unfair scoring.
Miss Universe exec Nawat Itsaragrisil was dismissed from the pageant on Nov. 4 after a tense confrontation with Bosch resulted in several contestants walking out of a pre-pageant event in protest.
Miss Universe judge Omar Harfouch then made headlines when he resigned from the pageant a few days before it officially kicked off in Bangkok, Thailand.
Harfouch claimed that the Top 30 finalists had been chosen in secret long before the judges ever cast their votes.
Most recently, Miss Universe leadership came under fire when Miss Jamaica Gabrielle Henry, 28, suffered a scary fall from the event stage on Nov. 19.
Although Rocha stated that Henry was in “good health” and “nearing discharge” following the tumble, fellow contestant Miss Haiti Melissa Sapini alleged that Miss Universe leaders blamed Miss Jamaica for the incident.
“I don’t know that they handled that correctly,” Sapini, 22, told People this week. “The first thing [the pageant staff member] said was it’s because she wasn’t paying attention.”
“After he said that, then he was like, ‘Of course, safety is our number one priority,’ this, that,” she added. “But it’s like, ‘Are you serious?’ That was really scary.”
