US repatriates former Mexican governor convicted of drug trafficking

The United States on Wednesday repatriated a former Mexican governor who had served more than six years in a U.S. jail for money laundering.

Having completed his U.S. sentence, Mario Villanueva, the ex-governor of Quintana Roo state, was sent home amid tight security. He serves a 22-year sentence on similar charges at a penitentiary near capital Mexico City.

Villanueva, 68, reportedly suffered from respiratory problems. He served as the governor of the Caribbean coast state of Quintana Roo in the 1990s before being arrested in 2001.

In 2010, Villanueva was extradited to the United States where he pleaded guilty to laundering bribes from the Juarez drug cartel through U.S. banks.

source: Xinhua