“The Croatian”, linked to the financial Nimbus Group, was arrested on Tuesday in Argentina, due to a money laundering case.
On Tuesday it was announced that Croatian financier Ivo Rojnica was arrested in Argentina in connection with a money laundering case allegedly linked to one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal organizations: the Sinaloa Cartel.
“El Croata”, as the 43-year-old businessman is known, was arrested by order of the federal judge of Lomas de Zamora, Federico Villena. The operation to apprehend him was carried out by the Department Against Organized Crime of the City Police in the “El Golfo” neighborhood of Nordelta, where relevant documentation was found.
During these actions, 23 raids were carried out in Benavidez and the city of Buenos Aires, after which two other alleged associates of Rojnica were arrested: the businessman Federico Pulento and the financier Agustín Estrada Palomeque. The former was arrested in the “El Encuentro” neighborhood, and the latter in a house located at 1800 Montevideo Street, in the Retiro neighborhood of Buenos Aires.
The arrest of ‘El Croata’ is the result of an investigation that began five years ago in the court of Lomas de Zamora, whose file arose from an operation against drug trafficking known as “Bobinas Blancas” (White Coils). The inquiries in this case began in 2018 after the discovery of 1,375 kilograms of cocaine that were hidden in steel coils in Bahía Blanca; hence the name of the operation.
The grandfather of ‘El Croata’ has a Nazi past
Who is Ivo Rojnica
The history of ‘The Croatian’ has been marked by his family ancestry. His grandfather, also called Ivo Rojnica, arrived in Argentina in 1947, after fleeing his native country to escape the Yugoslavian socialist regime.
Once in the South American country, the grandfather of ‘The Croatian’ entered the textile sector, where he managed to generate a fortune. However, in 1994 his reputation was affected due to the fact that the Simon Wiesenthal Center pointed out that he had a Nazi past, since he was allegedly part of the “Ustasha” group, a nationalist formation linked to the German regime. However, he was never directly linked to murders.
After the death of his grandfather in 2007, Ivo Rojnica appeared in the media when he married model Melina Cammertoni in November 2022. The celebration took place at the Basilica of the Blessed Sacrament and was considered “a dream wedding”, which was organized by Diego Maradona’s ex-wife, Claudia Villafañe.
But beyond his family past and his luxurious parties, Rojnica is known for his relationship with Nimbus Group, considered by the Argentine government as one of the largest “financial caves” in the City of Buenos Aires.
Nimbus Group Financial Services (located on San Martin Avenue) was dedicated to the sale of the blue dollar (as it is known in the illegal market), but it does not appear in the registers of companies of the Argentine Official Gazette. The finance company was raided by federal authorities of such country in mid October, as part of the actions to control the irregular marking of the free dollar.
That is why Federal Court number 8, in charge of Marcelo Martínez de Giorgi, has an open investigation against Nimbus for financial crimes.
It is presumed that Rojnica’s business extends to Paraguay, since he is listed as owner of 40 percent of Negocios Bursátiles Casa de Bolsa Sociedad Anónima. In addition, he also has businesses in Madrid, Spain, in which he offers services for the creation of websites.
Regarding his alleged ties to the Sinaloa Cartel, no evidence has been presented to confirm a financial relationship.