Fugitive former Mexican Governor caught in Italy

Mexican prosecutors say that Tomás Yarrington, the 59-year-old former governor of Mexico’s north-eastern state of Tamaulipas, had been wanted by authorities for nearly five years and has been detained by police in Florence, Italy, according to Mexico’s attorney-general’s office. He is expected to be extradited to Mexico within days. The attorney general's office said Sunday that ex-Gov. Tomas Yarrington is accused in Mexico of money laundering and organized crime. 

Mr Yarrington, who served as governor from 1999 to 2005, had been on the run for almost five years. Before becoming a fugitive, the former governor maintained he was innocent and a victim of politically motivated charges.
The ex-governor is accused of taking millions of dollars in bribes from drug cartels in return for turning a blind eye to their smuggling activities.
A reward of 15m Mexican pesos ($800,000) had been offered for information leading to his arrest. He is also wanted by the United States on charges of money laundering.

According to the US indictment, Mr Yarrington allegedly received large bribes from major drug traffickers operating in Tamaulipas, including the Gulf and the Zetas cartels. In return, Mr Yarrington allegedly allowed the cartels "to operate their large-scale, multi-tonne enterprises freely, which included the smuggling of large quantities of drugs to the US for distribution".

"It is expected that in the coming days he will be repatriated to our country by this office, in coordination with the authorities of the government of Italy," the PGR said in a statement on Sunday.

A second Tamaulipas governor named Eugenio Hernandez Flores is also listed as a fugitive by U.S. authorities on multiple money laundering charges. While Yarrington is wanted in both the U.S. and Mexico, Hernandez continues to live freely and is often seen making public appearances.