Mario Villanueva Madrid
| Mario Villanueva | |
|---|---|
 4th Governor of Quintana Roo |
|
|
In office 5 April 1993 – 4 April 1999 |
|
| Preceded by | Miguel Borge Martín |
| Succeeded by | Joaquín Hendricks Díaz |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
2 July 1948 Chetumal, Quintana Roo |
| Nationality |
 Mexican
|
| Political party |
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|
| Spouse(s) | Isabel Tenorio |
| Profession |
Agronomist Politician |
Mario Ernesto Villanueva Madrid, aka "El Chueco", (born 2 July 1948) is a Mexican politician who built an important political career within the ranks of Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI). From 1993 to 1999 he served as the fourth governor of the state of Quintana Roo. Accused of drug trafficking at the end of his gubernatorial period, he did not arrive at the ceremony at which he was to hand the office over to his elected successor, Joaquín Hendricks Díaz, and remained a fugitive from justice for two years. He served a six-year prison sentence and was extradited to the United States on 8 May 2010.
Born in Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Villanueva studied agronomy at the Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua. He was elected presidente municipal (mayor) of Benito Juárez, Quintana Roo, in 1990 (the municipality that includes Cancún) but resigned that position the year later to fight (and win) a seat representing Quintana Roo in the federal Senate. He resigned as senator to run for governor of the state, to which he was elected in 1993.
During his time as governor he promoted the development of the Riviera Maya tourist area, located to the south of Cancún. In 1993 he created the new municipality of Solidaridad in that region, with its municipal seat in Playa del Carmen.
Criminal charges accusing Villanueva of involvement in cocaine shipments passing through his state were filed while he was still serving as governor. Federal Assistant Attorney General Mariano Herrán interviewed him at the governor's mansion in Chetumal. Fearing that he would be arrested at the end of his governorship, when his immunity (fuero) expired, he disappeared from public view two weeks before the hand-over date.
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