Miss Universe saga: Owners in Mexico, Thailand hit with fraud, trafficking claims

Miss Universe pageant director Paul Rocha is being investigated by Mexican prosecutors for alleged arms and drug trafficking, as well as fuel smuggling.

Mexico City, Mexico -- The Miss Universe beauty pageant was hit by fresh scandal days after it ended, with the Mexican co-owner of the contest accused of trafficking drugs and arms and his Thai counterpart accused of fraud.

This year’s Miss Universe contest concluded last week in Thailand with a win for Miss Mexico after a pageant replete with drama, including a public bust-up between the eventual winner and the competition host.

A Thai court official told AFP on Wednesday that an arrest warrant had been issued the day before for the media mogul co-owner of the contest, Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip, for alleged fraud worth US$930,000.

A plastic surgeon accused Jakapong of fraud and concealing information when persuading him to invest in her JKN Global Group, which co-owns the contest.

Also Wednesday, the federal prosecutor’s office in Mexico said the other co-owner of the pageant, Mexican businessman Raul Rocha Cantu, was under investigation for arms, drug, and fuel trafficking.

“Key information is being obtained that will allow the federal public prosecutor’s office to continue and delve deeper into this investigation,” the agency said in a statement.

The agency added that arrest warrants had been issued for 13 defendants but did not identify them.

Mexican media reported that Rocha was among those sought by police.

Local media have also accused him of alleged business dealings with the father of the newly-crowned Miss Universe, Fatima Bosch.

Bosch’s father, Bernando Bosch, a senior executive at state-owned oil company Pemex, denied any connection to Rocha.

Bosch won widespread acclaim after leading a dramatic walkout from a meeting between the contestants and the pageant’s Thai director, Nawat Itsaragrisil.

Nawat was filmed singling her out over her apparent failure to post promotional content on her social media accounts, calling her a “dumbhead.”

Bosch won praise for standing up to Nawat, including from her country’s first woman president, Claudia Sheinbaum.

On Tuesday, the 25-year-old beauty queen said she had received “insults, attacks, and even death threats” over the allegations of her father’s links to the contest.

The Miss Universe contest was formerly owned by US President Donald Trump.

Jakapong’s JKN Global Group bought it for $20 million in 2022, but later sold half its stake to Rocha Cantu’s Legacy Holding Group USA for $16 million.

AFP