CHETUMAL, Mexico — As Quintana Roo Governor Mara Lezama Espinosa marks her Fourth Government Report, her administration faces heavy scrutiny over lavish personal spending, questionable public contracts, and unresolved security issues across the state.
Private Flights and Property Controversy
According to flight registries and U.S. Department of Homeland Security immigration records, Lezama accumulated 119 entry and exit movements regarding the United States since her time as Mayor of Benito Juárez. Notably, 97 of these trips were conducted via private jets, frequently targeting destinations like Orlando, Florida, and Vail, Colorado.
- Flight Costs: Hourly rates on private aircraft like Learjets or Gulfstreams push flight estimates between 406,000 and 812,000 Mexican pesos per trip, eclipsing her monthly net governor salary of 102,598 pesos.
- Corporate Ties: At least 43 foreign flights utilized jets linked to PABE-TAX, an entity connected to Grupo Seguritech—a security supplier that has secured over 5 billion pesos in state surveillance contracts.
- Real Estate: Questions persist regarding a luxury Puerto Cancún residence, dubbed the “Casa Blanca,” involved in a 2020 property exchange valued at 171 million pesos while she served as mayor.
Lezama denies any wrongdoing, asserting that all personal travel was privately funded without public money and attributing her assets to her past work in the private sector.
Contractual Allegations and Security Realities
Further pressure mounts from an investigation by Mexicanos Contra la Corrupción y la Impunidad, which revealed that state and local authorities granted over 150 million pesos in public works contracts between 2023 and 2024 to companies tied to Tabasco Capital—a firm probed by federal prosecutors for illicit fuel invoicing (huachicol).
Simultaneously, intelligence reports detail an expanding presence of organized crime groups, such as the Caborca Cartel and CJNG, across southern municipalities like Bacalar and Chetumal. While state and federal forces have launched targeted operations against illegal airstrips and rural safehouses, residents in urban centers like Cancún continue facing rising living costs, public service deficits, and ongoing security fears.
Source: Por Esto
