Latest news with #armsTrafficking
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr likely to soon be deported to Mexico: Sheinbaum
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has announced she expects boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr to soon be deported from the United States to serve a sentence for arms trafficking and organised crime. Sheinbaum explained on Friday that Mexico has had an arrest warrant for the boxer since 2023, stemming from an investigation initiated in 2019. But Chavez had not previously been arrested because he spends most of his time in the US. ''The hope is that he will be deported and serve the sentence in Mexico,' Sheinbaum said, adding: 'That's the process the attorney general's office is working on.' Her statement comes two days after Chavez was detained in Los Angeles by US immigration authorities, after they determined he made fraudulent statements in a 2024 application for permanent residency. The son of a boxing legend, Chavez appeared last weekend in a sold-out match in Anaheim, California. But he lost to 28-year-old influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a unanimous decision after 10 rounds. Following his arrest, the US Department of Homeland Security said that Chavez is suspected of having ties to Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel. The US has designated the group and several other Latin American cartels as 'foreign terrorist organisations' as part of a wider effort to staunch cross-border crime. The administration has also sought to surge deportations in recent years, to make good on US President Donald Trump's campaign promises. Michael Goldstein, a lawyer for Chavez, said more than two dozen immigration agents arrested the boxer at his home in the Studio City area of Los Angeles on Wednesday. 'The current allegations are outrageous and appear to be designed as a headline to terrorise the community,' Goldstein said. Chavez's family in Mexico said in a statement that they 'fully trust his innocence'. His wife, Frida Munoz Chavez, was previously married to the son of the former Sinaloa Cartel leader, who is serving a life sentence in a US prison, Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman. That son, Edgar, was assassinated in Culiacan, Mexico, in 2008. Speaking on Friday, Sheinbaum said she did not know if the boxer had any ties to the cartel. The son of Mexican world champion fighter Julio Cesar Chavez, Chavez had won the WBC middleweight championship in 2011. He lost the title the following year. However, his career has been largely overshadowed by controversies, including a suspension after testing positive for a banned substance in 2009 and a fine and suspension after testing positive for marijuana in 2013.
Fox News
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Mexico President expects boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. to be deported, hopes he serves sentence in home country
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Friday she expects boxer Julio Cesar Chávez Jr. to be deported to Mexico to serve a sentence for alleged arms trafficking and organized crime, after he was arrested by ICE in Los Angeles on Thursday. Chávez was found to be in the country illegally last week after he made fraudulent statements on a 2024 application for permanent residency based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen. "The hope is that he will be deported and serve the sentence in Mexico," Sheinbaum said during her daily news briefing Friday, referring to charges that Chávez faces for arms and drug trafficking. The 39-year-old boxer, according to his attorney Michael Goldstein, was picked up on Wednesday by a large number of federal agents while he was riding a scooter in front of a home where he resides in the upscale Los Angeles neighborhood of Studio City, near Hollywood. The arrest came only days after the former middleweight champion lost a match against influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Anaheim, California. Chávez split his time between both countries. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained Chávez for overstaying a tourist visa that he entered the U.S. with in August 2023 and expired in February 2024, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said. According to the department, Chávez Jr. has been charged with several crimes while in the U.S. On Jan. 22, 2012, the California Highwaay Patrol arrested Chávez and charged him with DUI alcohol/drugs and driving without a license. On June 23, 2012, the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, convicted Chávez of the offense of driving under the influence of alcohol and sentenced him to 13 days in jail and 36 months' probation. On Jan. 14, 2023, a District Judge issued an arrest warrant for Chávez for the offense of organized crime for the purpose of committing crimes of weapons trafficking and manufacturing crimes, in the modality of those who participate in clandestinely bringing weapons, ammunition, cartridges, explosives into the country; and those who manufacture weapons, ammunition, cartridges and explosives without the corresponding permit. On Jan. 7, 2024, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested Chávez and charged him with Illegal possession of an assault weapon and manufacture or import of a short-barreled rifle. The court convicted Chávez of these charges.' DHS also suspects Chávez is allegedly believed to be an affiliate of the Sinaloa Cartel, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. Chávez's application was based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen, who is connected to the Sinaloa Cartel through a prior relationship with the now-deceased son of the infamous cartel leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, according to DHS. According to DHS, in December 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services had made a referral to ICE that Chávez was an "egregious public safety threat," but he was allowed to reenter the country on Jan. 4, 2025 after records indicated the Biden Administration had not made him an immigration enforcement priority. The Biden administration allowed Chávez to re-enter the country and paroled him into the country at the San Ysidro port of entry, accorrding to DHS. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Al Jazeera
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr likely to soon be deported to Mexico: Sheinbaum
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has announced she expects boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr to soon be deported from the United States to serve a sentence for arms trafficking and organised crime. Sheinbaum explained on Friday that Mexico has had an arrest warrant for the boxer since 2023, stemming from an investigation initiated in 2019. But Chavez had not previously been arrested because he spends most of his time in the US. ''The hope is that he will be deported and serve the sentence in Mexico,' Sheinbaum said, adding: 'That's the process the attorney general's office is working on.' Her statement comes two days after Chavez was detained in Los Angeles by US immigration authorities, after they determined he made fraudulent statements in a 2024 application for permanent residency. The son of a boxing legend, Chavez appeared last weekend in a sold-out match in Anaheim, California. But he lost to 28-year-old influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a unanimous decision after 10 rounds. Alleged ties to cartel Following his arrest, the US Department of Homeland Security said that Chavez is suspected of having ties to Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel. The US has designated the group and several other Latin American cartels as 'foreign terrorist organisations' as part of a wider effort to staunch cross-border crime. The administration has also sought to surge deportations in recent years, to make good on US President Donald Trump's campaign promises. Michael Goldstein, a lawyer for Chavez, said more than two dozen immigration agents arrested the boxer at his home in the Studio City area of Los Angeles on Wednesday. 'The current allegations are outrageous and appear to be designed as a headline to terrorise the community,' Goldstein said. Chavez's family in Mexico said in a statement that they 'fully trust his innocence'. His wife, Frida Munoz Chavez, was previously married to the son of the former Sinaloa Cartel leader, who is serving a life sentence in a US prison, Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman. That son, Edgar, was assassinated in Culiacan, Mexico, in 2008. Speaking on Friday, Sheinbaum said she did not know if the boxer had any ties to the cartel. The son of Mexican world champion fighter Julio Cesar Chavez, Chavez had won the WBC middleweight championship in 2011. He lost the title the following year. However, his career has been largely overshadowed by controversies, including a suspension after testing positive for a banned substance in 2009 and a fine and suspension after testing positive for marijuana in 2013.
New York Times
03-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Mexico Confirms Arrest Warrant for Boxer Julio César Chávez Jr.
Mexican officials confirmed on Thursday that they had issued an arrest warrant for the prominent boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. on charges of involvement in organized crime and arms trafficking, a day after he was detained by U.S. immigration authorities in California. Mr. Chávez had been detained by federal U.S. agents in Studio City, Calif., the Department of Homeland Security said on Thursday, citing the arrest warrant in Mexico and saying that Mr. Chávez was in the United States illegally. A spokesman for Mexico's Attorney General's Office said that the U.S. authorities had informed Mexican officials about the detention, and said 'they have started the corresponding procedure for his extradition to Mexico.' The warrant for him was issued in March 2023, the spokesman said. Lawyers for Mr. Chávez could not immediately be reached for comment. A former World Boxing Council middleweight champion, Mr. Chávez, 39, was detained just days after he lost a high-profile boxing match in Anaheim, Calif., against the former YouTuber Jake Paul. He is also the son of a Mexican boxing legend, Julio César Chávez Sr., who appeared with Mexico's president twice in recent months, at a news conference and a government event in Mexico City that drew tens of thousands of people. The Department of Homeland Security said in its statement that Mr. Chávez was 'also believed to be an affiliate of the Sinaloa Cartel,' referring to the powerful crime syndicate that the U.S. and Mexican authorities have targeted in an aggressive crackdown. The U.S. authorities said that Mr. Chávez had entered the United States legally in 2023 with a B2 tourist visa, but that it had expired in 2024. He then filed for lawful permanent resident status based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen, who U.S. officials said was 'connected to the Sinaloa Cartel through a prior relationship' with a son of the cartel leader Joaquín Guzmán Loera, known as El Chapo. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Russia Today
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Weapons from Ukraine will flood Europe
A massive influx of weapons from Ukraine will hit Europe's black markets after the conflict with Russia is over, according to a new report by the Eurasia Observatory, which tracks the conflict's long-term impact on organized crime. Western-supplied weapons and thousands of battle-hardened Ukrainian veterans are expected to fuel a wave of crime, arms trafficking, and instability across the continent – as talks between Moscow and Kiev to resolve the conflict raise hopes for a ceasefire – the document warns. 'Stockpiles of weapons, including heavy arms, are being amassed throughout Ukraine,' the report says. 'Should the fighting stop, martial law in Ukraine will presumably be lifted, reducing the resources and powers of the state to police the civilian sphere – and opening up the field for organized crime to operate more freely.' Kiev received over $363 billion (€326 billion) in NATO aid by February 2025, according to the Kiel Institute. Porous borders and weak oversight may fail to stop smuggled weapons such as rifles, grenades, and missile systems, according to the document. Earlier this year, US journalist Tucker Carlson claimed that the Ukrainian military was selling American weapons systems 'on the black market, including to drug cartels.' Western media and officials have acknowledged that weapons sent to Kiev have ended up in criminal hands. Europol reported in April 2022 that arms were being trafficked from Ukraine into the EU for organized crime groups. Later that year, the Finnish authorities confirmed that these weapons had surfaced locally, with similar findings in Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands. By mid-2024, Spanish media reported gangs in southern Spain had acquired modern weapons allegedly smuggled from Ukraine. The return of Ukrainian soldiers skilled in sabotage, drones, and cyber warfare poses a threat, with the report warning that they could become a 'valuable resource' for criminal networks in Europe. Corruption in Ukraine is a major concern, with the most recent estimate showing Ukraine will require $524 billion to repair the damage from the war. The report warns that criminals could exploit the process to launder money and gain influence. Despite mounting concerns over arms trafficking and fraud, some EU institutions continue to push for Ukraine's accession to the bloc. Analysts say this could further weaken border controls and oversight mechanisms. The report warns that without a coordinated long-term strategy, Western nations risk facing the fallout of a conflict that Moscow claims they helped fuel and now struggle to control. Russia has warned against Western weapons deliveries to Ukraine, saying they only serve to prolong the conflict and heighten regional security threats. It has also said the unchecked supply of weapons has resulted in a large number falling into the hands of organized criminal groups and extremists worldwide.
