The Fiscalía General de la República (FGR) announced Saturday that Raúl Luis Martins, a former Argentine intelligence agent accused of leading a human trafficking network for sexual exploitation, has been extradited to Argentina. The request came from a federal court in Buenos Aires, and Mexican authorities granted the extradition under the treaty between Mexico and Argentina.
According to the FGR, Martins allegedly headed a criminal organization from November 2010 until 2019 that exploited women sexually. The group operated through commercial premises where the crimes took place. For roughly seven years, his defense filed multiple amparo suits and appeals in Cancún, Quintana Roo, and Mexico City to block the extradition. The FGR said it fought those legal maneuvers and obtained favorable outcomes.
Martins was wanted by the Juzgado Nacional en lo Criminal y Correccional Federal Número 1 of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires for probable participation in criminal association, human trafficking for sexual exploitation, and money laundering. The handover to designated South American agents occurred at Cancún International Airport in southern Mexico.
National media have reported that Martins is a former spy for Argentina’s Secretaría de Inteligencia del Estado (SIDE). He reportedly belonged to an organization known as Zona Divas, dedicated to sexual exploitation and extortion. Some reports link him to Los Zetas and the Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel (CJNG). Martins, who holds dual Argentine and Mexican nationality, was arrested in Cancún in 2019 as he tried to board a flight to Belize.
The FGR noted that the individual is presumed innocent until a competent judicial authority issues a conviction.
