Following the April 23-24 arrest of Fernando Farías Laguna—former Navy rear admiral and nephew of ex-Secretary Rafael Ojeda—in Buenos Aires with a fake Guatemalan passport, President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed efforts for his deportation or extradition over fuel smuggling charges. Argentine authorities and Mexican Navy hailed the capture amid the ongoing Semar Huachicol probe.
Argentine Security Minister Alejandra Monteoliva announced on April 24: “We caught Fernando Farías Laguna, Mexican, ex rear admiral. He is detained and will be extradited.” The 48-year-old entered Argentina on April 1 from Colombia using false documents. He faces an Interpol red notice for organized crime, corruption, fuel theft (huachicol), and attempted homicide, linked to a network that illegally imported U.S. fuel via Semar influence—detailed in prior coverage of the Semar Huachicol Fiscal Network.
His brother Roberto is imprisoned in El Altiplano. In her April 24 briefing, Sheinbaum said: “All necessary arrangements are being made [...] to see if deportation is possible because he entered Argentina with a fake passport; so we are requesting deportation and, if not, extradition conditions would be established.”
The Navy stated: “As a result of months of coordinated work [...] Fernando ‘N’ was detained in Argentine territory.” His lawyer Epigmenio Mendieta anticipates a federal judge appearance on April 24 and may seek political asylum, citing risks in Mexico.
