Between 2020 and 2025, government bodies in Baja California and Sonora, alongside the municipalities of Tecate and Playas de Rosarito, awarded at least 108 millones 480 mil 393 pesos in public contracts to companies later sanctioned by the United States Department of the Treasury. EL UNIVERSAL reported that the acquisitions spanned surveillance drones, protective vests, COVID-19 rapid tests, and police patrol vehicles, creating a direct financial overlap with businesses linked by U.S. authorities to a Sinaloa Cartel money laundering network.
Baja California Prosecution Office Awarded Millions to Sanctioned Entities
The Fiscalía General del Estado de Baja California (FGE) emerged as the primary public buyer among the reviewed jurisdictions. Between 2022 and 2025, the state prosecution office awarded 36 contracts totaling 75 millones 520 mil 942 pesos to sanctioned entities, according to records gathered from the Plataforma Nacional de Transparencia (PNT) and Compras MX. Mexicanos Contra la Corrupción y la Impunidad (MCCI) reported that one primary vendor, Inteliproof Efficient, received more than 200 million pesos from the prosecution office over that same timeframe when incorporating earlier documented agreements.
The vast majority of these state-level agreements proceeded through direct adjudication rather than open competitive bidding. They occurred under the leadership of Ricardo Iván Carpio Sánchez and María Elena Andrade Ramírez. Out of the 36 total state contracts, 33 went directly to Inteliproof Efficient for a combined 73 millones 243 mil 744 pesos.
Inteliproof supplied the Baja California prosecution office with computer hardware, binoculars, drones, office furniture, uniforms, and ballistic vests. Financial allocations scaled upward over the period, culminating in eight separate contracts worth 33.2 million pesos in 2025 alone. This included an 11.6 million peso purchase of facial recognition software designated for the Directorate of Investigation Tactics. Separately, EL UNIVERSAL identified three 2024 contracts worth 2 millones 277 mil 198 pesos awarded to Festivales Artistas Mobiliario Asesoría, another entity founded by Moreno Gómez Santelices that received OFAC sanctions for social media, digital advertising, and informational production services.
Additional state entities in Baja California also engaged the sanctioned network.
Sonora Health Directorate COVID-19 Procurement
Public purchasing of sanctioned goods extended beyond law enforcement agencies into health administration. In August 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 health emergency, the Sonora State Health Services administration awarded an 8 millones 769 mil 600 peso direct adjudication contract to Holistic Wellwaves, S. de R.L. de C.V.
The agreement authorized the purchase of rapid COVID-19 detection tests at a unit price of 420 pesos, with delivery scheduled between August and September 2020. The transaction occurred during the administration of then-Governor Claudia Pavlovich Arellano, who currently serves as Mexico’s ambassador to Panama under an appointment by President Claudia Sheinbaum. State registry records indicate Marco Antonio Moreno Gómez Santelices signed the contract as the legal representative for Holistic Wellwaves, which was incorporated in Tijuana in 2019 with a corporate purpose encompassing relaxation therapies, vitamin intravenous treatments, and vitamin concentrate sales.
Municipal Spending in Playas de Rosarito and Tecate
Local municipal governments also maintained commercial ties with firms later flagged by American financial regulators.
Meanwhile, the municipality of Tecate disbursed 3 millones 892 mil 400 pesos across contracts with Inteliproof Efficient and Private Equity Baja. These municipal agreements funded the commercial lease of four police patrol units alongside specialized legal, fiscal, and accounting advisory services in 2025.
The web of municipal and state contracts emerged publicly after OFAC designated 21 individuals and 25 business entities on September 29 as part of a sweeping enforcement action targeting Sinaloa Cartel leadership and financial facilitators. U.S. authorities identified Ismael Zambada Sicairos, known as “Mayito Flaco,” and Tijuana plaza boss René Arzate García, known as “La Rana,” among the principal figures directing the criminal apparatus. Treasury officials also sanctioned Carlos Villela Gómez Santelices, Jerónimo Javier Vera Ayala and Jorge Mario Vera Ayala.
State Agencies Used Emergency Exceptions for Security Contracts
Why did state agencies use direct adjudication for these contracts?
Public agencies in Baja California and Sonora utilized direct adjudication by invoking emergency exceptions and administrative authorities during the COVID-19 pandemic and routine security equipment procurement, bypassing standard competitive bidding procedures.
What specific security technology did Inteliproof Efficient provide to the state?
Inteliproof Efficient supplied drones, computer equipment, ballistic vests, binoculars, and advanced facial recognition software intended for the Directorate of Investigation Tactics within the Baja California prosecution office.
Who signed the Sonora health contract on behalf of the sanctioned supplier?
Marco Antonio Moreno Gómez Santelices signed the August 2020 health contract for rapid COVID-19 tests as the legal representative for Holistic Wellwaves, according to state procurement records.
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