Mexico freezes Miss Universe president's bank accounts amid crime probe
Miss Universe Organization president Raúl Rocha's bank accounts have been frozen by Mexico’s anti-money laundering office amid investigations into drugs, fuel, and arms trafficking.
Afederal official confirmed, as reported by the Associated Press, that the action was taken due to Rocha's alleged organized crime activity that began in November 2024. Rocha is said to have been involved in drug trafficking, arms trafficking, and fuel theft.
A federal judge previously issued 13 arrest warrants against individuals involved in the crime, including Rocha.
Rocha was recently met with controversy after allegations emerged that the pageant was rigged. This stemmed from a judge who reportedly resigned two days before the coronation night, which saw Mexico's Fatima Bosch being crowned as the next Miss Universe.
The judge claimed that the win was pre-determined due to Rocha's alleged business with her father.
The businessman has since refuted this claim as he addressed reports surrounding his company's (Soluciones Gasíferas del Sur) 745 million Mexican peso (P2.3 million) contract in 2023 with Mexican oil company Pemex, where Bosch's father, Bernardo Bosch Hernandez, is a long-time employee.
"It is crucial to clarify that one of my companies officially acquired 50% of the Miss Universe Organization on January 29, 2024, and I assumed the presidency of that company almost a year after the awarding of the aforementioned contract," he said in Spanish, as translated by Google.
"During the period in which these negotiations took place... The bidder had no direct or indirect relationship with any member or executive of the Miss Universe Organization, much less with any member of the Bosch family," adding that he met the eventual winner's family two months before the Miss Universe Mexico pageant in September.
"Therefore, it is completely false and impossible that any relationship exists between the awarding of this contract and the contestant's victory in the 74th Miss Universe pageant, held on November 21, 2025, in Bangkok, given that two years and eight months elapsed between the date the contract was signed and the pageant," he claimed.
He also emphasized that Miss Universe is a "100%" private organization that does not receive public funds or sponsorships from any public entity."
Mexico's Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection Omar Garcia Harfuch also stated that they have "no indication that there is any money from organized crime in the Miss Universe pageant."
"We do not have it, nor do we have anything related to the contest as such in the corresponding investigations," he said in a press conference.
Rocha acquired 50% of MUO in 2024 through his Legacy Holdings Group. However, he is mulling over selling the franchise due to the controversies that continue to plague the 74th Miss Universe pageant.
