A Mexico City based journalist, Maria Idalia Gomez, who works for Eje Central, a notable Mexican publisher, has revealed that leaked Mexican Army intelligence documents connect the Banco Serfinanzas to the Sinaloa Cartel. The documents have as their origin a 2022 leaked set of documents called #GuacamayaLeaks which contain various references to Latin American governments. Specifically, these Arturo Char and Alejandro Char related documents trace their origin from a military attaché in the Bogota embassy of Colombia.
In those documents, Idalia Gomez reveals that the Mexican army is aware of an extensive amount of control exerted by the Sinaloa Cartel in port cities of Cartagena, Santa Marta and Barranquilla. They name the Bank of Serfinanzas as the principal way for the Sinaloa Cartel to launder their funds and access resources and the banking system globally. Effectively, the Sinaloa Cartel can springboard into the global financial system via these banking connections.
Olimpica Powered Bank
In the report, the names of the heirs of the Banco de Serfinanzas, Alejandro Char, and Arturo Char, are mentioned as key points of contact and persons of interest since their family owns the bank. More troubling is the fact that Alejandro Char is running for mayor in Barranquilla.
For those unfamiliar with the coastal area of Colombia, the Serfinanzas bank is likely better known as a company linked to the Olimpica supermarket chain. Serfinanzas often maintains a physical presence within Olimpica stores as a credit provider for consumers.
Abuse of Power in Barranquilla
There are obvious implications for abuse of power if these documents are to be taken at face value. Since Barranquilla’s an important port city named as part of the CDS’ sphere of influence, Alex Char running successfully for mayor would seem to strengthen that hold. His brother, Arturo Char, was forced to give up a Colombian Senate post due to campaign irregularities.
Sometimes, the disruption in political leadership appears purposeful as if cartels can find benefit on making politicians accept their money knowingly or not. The Char family, a mercantile family that has vast amounts of wealth and ‘old money’, is a natural rival in political doctrine to someone like Gustavo Petro. However, one thing they have in common is legal proceedings that tie them to illicit funds.
While the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, has called for an investigation into Banco de Serfinanzas, but he too has been linked to illicit campaign financing from Mexican cartels. Thus, in truth, no political faction has the moral posturing to execute basic laws. However, this is speculation on my part, and apologies to the reader for my indulging.
For their part, the Banco de Serfinanzas has been requesting that the journalist retract her story. They allege to never have wired money to Mexico, as if wiring money to the country is a definitive qualifier one way or another. They also asserted that they would want a published apology.
Origin of Char Links To Organized Crimes
According to the journalist’s summary of links between the Char family and organized crime in Colombia, the Char family has had a criminal investigation in Colombia that links them to an individual with a code name of ‘El Caracol’, who at the time managed a cartel, Cartel de la Costa.
According to those legal filings, the Char family, whose patriarch is Fuad Char, was an active sponsor and agent of paramilitary activity and drug trafficking; in effect, they represent the other side of the coin with respect to FARC Guerillas. In a peace summit held in 2019 under the auspices of the UN and Colombian government, one of the Char brothers, David Char, confessed – in order to receive immunity – that he had purchased votes as part of his campaigning with the ‘Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia’.
Additionally, according to US and Colombian intelligence, Alex (Alejandro) Char – the same brother running for mayor – was known to have held multiple meetings with two distinct and opposing factions of the regional cartel, Cartel del Pacifico. Nonetheless, the military documents pointed towards a heavier Sinaloa Cartel presence and that their function was to route cocaine from Colombia to the Yucatan Peninsula or routes in Africa & Europe.
A Mexican citizen was identified as being in charge of the concealment of the cocaine shipments. Per these documents, they are to be moved among tuna fish shipments registering a Panamanian or Mexican flag.
Chicanos Under Investigation
US Intelligence has identified many Mexican cartel members with US passports traversing through Africa. US intelligence has procured data and likely informants based in the African region as they review the viability of these African drug trafficking routes. What is old news is that a certain number of individuals within various cartels are Mexicans born in the United States or Chicanos.
Obviously, many Chicanos have strong family ties to Mexico, and, some will link back to illicit activites. This is most commonly observed in California and the colonial US southwest, but also Illinois. Chicanos are known to return to Mexico and gain positions within these cartels, as most famously observed with David “Popeye” Barron 30 years ago.
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