Pablo Gómez, head of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP), ruled out that Mexican drug trafficking is laundering money in works of art.
After his participation in the conference on the Fight Against Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism in the investigation of the Criminality of Art and Antiquities, the head of the FIU indicated that it is the “richest” who use this route to launder resources of illicit origin.
“The drug traffickers do it (launder money) in other mechanisms, in the United States, basically. (Those who launder money in art) are the rich, no way than the poor,” he said when questioned by the press.
He also indicated that not necessarily the collectors are linked to money laundering in these works.
Although the official indicated that there are “many figures” about money laundering in these activities, he refused to give any figures.
“The phenomenon of money laundering in art is global, but much stronger in the large art marketsWe are talking about Europe and the United States (…) We analyze the activities of Mexicans who, without dedicating themselves to buying and selling art, are dedicated to buying art very stealthily,” he said.
He explained that, per se, buying art is not a criminal activity, the problem comes when it is bought with illicit resources.
