Business Partner of Saúl 'Canelo' Álvarez Accused Of Using Stores in Money Laundering Operation For Jalisco Cartel

Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, the current undisputed super middleweight boxing champion and global sports icon, has been linked to a man under investigation for allegedly laundering money for the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).

More than a boxing star, Álvarez has expanded his brand into business ventures. The 17-time world champion owns a boxing promotion, gas stations, a clothing line, and a tequila-based canned cocktail company, among others. But according to Mexican media reports, his chain of convenience stores, Upper by Canelo Energy, was allegedly used by Eric Daniel Zamora Delgadillo and his company, Ecocarburante, as part of a fuel theft and illegal sales operation.

An investigation by newspaper Reforma found that Mexico's Attorney General's Office identified Ecocarburante as part of a fuel theft and distribution network. Delgadillo is also under investigation in the United States for allegedly laundering money for the CJNG.

Before leading Ecocarburante, Delgadillo served as president of Agrícola Boreal, a company blacklisted by the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for suspected involvement in drug trafficking and financial crimes.

Delgadillo has also been linked to another company, Impulsora de Productos Sustentables, which has been accused of participating in fuel theft, commonly known in Mexico as "huachicoleo."

One of Delgadillo's known associates is José Isabel "El Choko" Murguía Santiago, the brother of former Teuchitlán Mayor José Ascención Murguía, who was arrested earlier this year in connection with violent crimes at the Izaguirre Ranch —a property used by the Jalisco Cartel as a training and execution site.

Murguía has been seen attending Álvarez's fights in the United States and has appeared publicly alongside Eddy Reynoso, Álvarez's longtime trainer.

Álvarez has not commented publicly on his ties to Delgadillo or the ongoing investigations. His representatives and those at Canelo Energy have also declined to respond to media inquiries.

Fuel theft involves illegally tapping into pipelines owned by the state-run oil company Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex). The fuel is often sold on the black market, disguised as waste oil or other legal substances, sometimes with the help of corrupt officials.

The term huachicolero gained national attention under former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who made cracking down on fuel theft a cornerstone of his administration. Since 2018, the military has been deployed to guard pipelines and combat organized theft.

Fuel theft has become a multi-billion-dollar criminal enterprise in Mexico, with the federal government estimating losses of more than $3 billion each year.