Kate del Castillo is currently on the radar of the Mexican authorities after signs of her alleged involvement in money laundering were discovered.
The film and TV actress reportedly used money given by drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, in order to fund a tequila business named Honor Del Castillo.
Evidence is piling up that Kate del Castillo may soon be investigated for possible commercial ties with El Chapo: https://t.co/3wyBxJgcGp
— VICE News (@vicenews) January 19, 2016
The government requires del Castillo to appear before a Mexican consulate in order for the investigation to commence. She was supposedly expected to attend a meeting on Monday, but failed to appear at the consulate in Los Angeles.
However, a report stated that she can choose from two more dates in which she can go to a Mexican consulate, although it would no longer be in Los Angeles.
@katedelcastillo did not declare at the Mexican Consulate in L.A. https://t.co/MciiC4szGC
— El Universal English (@Univ_inenglish) January 26, 2016
The 43-year-old Mexican-American actress was in the headlines earlier this month after a Rolling Stone article stated that she was the person behind the meeting between El Chapo and actor Sean Penn.
According to the entry written by Penn, he and Kate del Castillo went to the Sierra Madre mountain range in Mexico where they met Guzman in the middle of a jungle.
Penn and El Chapo agreed to have an interview at a later time, although the initial plans did not push through. Instead, Penn asked questions through a BBM device, and Guzman answered them through prerecorded videotape.
Investigators want Kate del Castillo to answer questions about “El Chapo”/Penn interview https://t.co/cP098b8lk0 pic.twitter.com/S4ur2fRthV
— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) January 18, 2016
In the initial meeting between Sean Penn and El Chapo, it was believed that Kate del Castillo brought some of the tequila from her budding business. At this time, Mexican authorities believe that Guzman gave del Castillo some money to finance her business.
El Chapo is a notorious drug lord who began his operations in the Mexican region of Sinaloa. He was first arrested in 1993, but bribed guards so he could escape in 2001. Guzman was again arrested in February 2014 before escaping in July 2015.
The meeting organized by Kate del Castillo allgedly led to the kingpin’s recent recapture.