Miss Universe Boss Linked to Casino Massacre Targeted in Cartel Trafficking Probe
Posted on: December 1, 2025, 02:47h.
Last updated on: December 1, 2025, 02:47h.
- Miss Universe co-owner Rocha accused of trafficking with cartel links
- Casino Royale massacre haunts tycoon now tied to Miss Universe scandal
- Guatemalan honorary consul stripped as Rocha faces fuel-smuggling charges
A Mexican business tycoon with diverse interests that include land-based casinos, online gambling, and the Miss Universe pageant is wanted in his home country for his alleged role in a fuel, weapons, and drug trafficking ring with links to cartel groups.
Raúl Rocha Cantú is co-owner of the Miss Universe beauty pageant via his company, Legacy Holding Group. He also once owned the Casino Royale in Monterrey, Mexico, which in 2011 was the scene of a brutal cartel attack that resulted in the deaths of 52 people.
That atrocity is not believed to be related to the decision last week by Mexican authorities to formally charge Rocha with trafficking and with being a member of a criminal organization.
Arrest Warrant Issued
According to the accusation by Fiscalía General de la República (FGR), Rocha is a “leader” of a network that smuggled fuel, weapons, and drugs across the Guatemala-Mexico border. He is alleged to have funneled the illicit profits of these operations into his legitimate companies.
He also used some of this money to pay a source who was providing him with information about the ongoing investigation against him, according to El Pais.
Prosecutors claim the case against Rocha includes wiretapped phone conversations and financial records linking him to the criminal enterprise, which involves the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Mexico City-based street cartel La Unión Tepito.
Rocha has been living in the US and Guatemala since the attack on the Casino Royale, where he was an “honorary consul” – at least until last Thursday, when this status was revoked by the Guatemalan government. His current whereabouts are unknown.
Casino Royale Massacre
On August 25, 2011, a group of armed men with links to the Los Zetas Cartel stormed Casino Royale. They doused the building with gasoline, blocked the exits, and set it ablaze.
Rescuers had to knock through walls with heavy machinery from a nearby construction site to reach those trapped inside.
The 52 victims mainly died of smoke inhalation. It remains one of the worst cartel atrocities and was labelled by authorities as an act of terror.
In the months before the attack, the casino had received extortion demands for protection money payments, which Rocha had refused to pay. In the aftermath, local authorities asked Rocha to answer questions about the attack, but he had already fled to the US, claiming he feared for his life.
Miss Universe Chaos
Rocha became a 50% owner of the Miss Universe contest in January 2024, and his last public appearance was at this year’s pageant in Nonthaburi, Thailand, shortly before the charges were announced.
Earlier, during a pre-pageant event, Miss Universe director Nawat Itsaragrisil publicly chastised Fátima Bosch, Miss Mexico, for allegedly refusing to take part in a promotional photoshoot – and reportedly called her a “dumb-head.”
When Bosch tried to respond, she was escorted out of the building by security. That moment was livestreamed, as were several contestants walking out in protest at her treatment.
When Bosch was crowned winner on November 21, there were rumors the contest was “rigged” after two judges resigned during the competition.
Soon afterward, it emerged that Rocha had signed a 2023 contract with Pemex, the state-owned oil company where the winner’s father, Bernardo Bosch, had long served as an executive – although there is no evidence that this relationship influenced the competition’s result.
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