Emergency Plane Landing in Campeche Revives Criminal History of Two Passengers
The emergency landing of a small aircraft at Playa Norte in Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche, brought renewed attention to the backgrounds of two of its passengers: Costa Rican businessmen Luis Alejandro Giralt Apéstegui and Carlos Chinchilla Jiménez.
Both men previously pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to conspiring to launder one million dollars in the United States.
Criminal Records of Two Passengers Resurface
After the identities of those on board became public, the criminal history of Luis Alejandro Giralt Apéstegui and Carlos Chinchilla Jiménez resurfaced. They were sentenced to five years and three years in prison, respectively.
The two men were arrested on August 10, 2012, in Manhattan and later convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering following an undercover operation coordinated by the FBI and the DEA.
Emergency Landing of the Aircraft at Playa Norte
The emergency landing of the twin-engine Cessna aircraft, registration N35VC, was captured on video on Thursday, June 25, at approximately 12:30 p.m. Witnesses reported that the aircraft attempted either a water landing or an emergency landing.
Local media in Campeche reported that the aircraft is owned by the digital banking institution Bancus and had departed from Culiacán International Airport in Sinaloa.
According to police sources, the aircraft allegedly belongs to Bancus, a financial platform founded by Giralt himself.
Passengers on Board
According to the Campeche State Attorney General’s Office (FGECAM), there were five men and two women on board, all of whom escaped without injuries.
The passengers were identified as:
- Andre García de la Oz, 31 years old
- Carlos Chinchilla Jiménez, 53 years old
- Adriana Hernández, 50 years old
- Javier Monge Hernández, 25 years old
- Adriana Monge Hernández, 23 years old
- Luis Alejandro Giralt, 49 years old
- Daniel Sánchez Ibarra, 22 years old
Pilot Carlos Chinchilla told local media that the emergency landing was caused by a mechanical failure.
Initial statements from the passengers indicated they had departed from Mexico City, while unofficial reports suggested the flight had originated in Sinaloa and was bound for Cancún, Quintana Roo.
Authorities Respond in Campeche
Authorities from the municipality of Ciudad del Carmen were the first to respond to the emergency landing on the beach in this tourist area of Campeche.
However, the passengers’ previous money laundering convictions quickly prompted the intervention of Mexico’s National Guard and the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), which assumed responsibility for securing the scene and conducting the investigation.
The reappearance of Giralt and Chinchilla in Mexico has drawn renewed attention in the Yucatán Peninsula, following the undercover U.S. operation that led to their arrests, in which federal agents allegedly posed as representatives of a criminal cartel seeking to launder additional funds in exchange for substantial profits.
Source: yucatan
