Fugitive Former Director of Mexican Soccer Team Accused of Money Laundering Finally Arrested After 3 Years on the Run

After years of evading Mexican law enforcement, former Mexican soccer team president Guillermo "Billy" Álvarez Cuevas was finally arrested on Thursday.

In an operation conducted by members of Mexico's Attorney General's Office (FGJ) and the Criminal Investigation Agency (AIC), Álvarez stands accused of organized crime with the purpose of illicit financial flows, which can include tax evasion, money laundering and bribery.

The former director of Cooperativa La Cruz Azul —one of Mexico's most important cement companies— and decade-long president of Liga MX team Cruz Azul has had an arrest warrant since 2020, when Mexican officials started investigating reports of Álvarez and his associates using fake companies for the purposes of money laundering.

According to authorities, between 2013 and 2020, more than 200 million pesos (US $9.5 million) were transferred from Cooperativa La Cruz Azul to personal accounts in the U.S. and Spain.

In 2020, then-Mexican Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero enacted an arrest warrant for Álvarez, as well as for his brother José Alfredo Álvarez and Víctor Manuel Garcés, who also served as president of the Liga MX soccer team. He had been on the run since 2022.

According to Infobae Mexico, "Billy" Álvarez was part of Interpol's search database in 195 different countries while on the run, although he did have a handful of public appearances since receiving an arrest warrant. During an interview with journalist David Faitelson, Álvarez said he was not evading law enforcement but was instead "protecting himself in order to have a better defense."

His last public appearance before his arrest came in May 2024, when he made a cameo on a video released by Cruz Azul one day before playing the Clausura 2024 final against Club América.

The Secretariat of Public Safety and Civilian Protection (SSPC) confirmed in a statement that the arrest of "Billy" Álvarez took place at around 1:05 p.m. on Jan. 16. "The individual was informed of the motive behind his arrest and was put at the disposal of a District Judge in the State of Mexico," the statement read.

According to ESPN journalist León Lecanda, Álvarez will be subjected to a medical clearance before being transferred to the Altiplano Penitentiary, west of Mexico City.