Bangkok court issues arrest warrant for Thai co-owner of Miss Universe pageant

The dramatic turmoil surrounding this year’s Miss Universe pageant has further escalated, with allegations of gun and drug trafficking now joining earlier controversies that already included dramatic walkouts and accusations of vote rigging.

The organisation’s Mexican and Thai co-owners are both facing arrest warrants in their respective countries on charges ranging from illegal substance trafficking to financial fraud, as reported by The Guardian.

Mexican media reported this week that businessman Raúl Rocha Cantú is under investigation for drug, gun and fuel trafficking between Guatemala and Mexico. Rocha, whose business empire includes industrial ventures, casinos and the beauty pageant itself, has denied any wrongdoing. When questioned by journalists, he responded by calling the news that an arrest warrant had been issued against him as “completely false.”

However, the Mexican attorney general’s office later confirmed the investigation and stated that arrest warrants had been issued for 13 individuals, including “Raúl R, about whom there have been various public reports”.

The other half of the Miss Universe Organisation is owned by Thai media mogul Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip, who also became the subject of an arrest warrant issued this week by a Thai court.

Jakkaphong has been accused of fraud by a plastic surgeon who claims she withheld information while persuading them to invest in her company, JKN Global Group.

A verdict had been expected this week, but Jakkaphong failed to appear in court, prompting the judge to order her arrest and deeming her a flight risk. Her current whereabouts remain unknown.

These legal developments add yet another twist to an already turbulent edition of the Miss Universe competition. The turmoil began when the event’s director publicly insulted Miss Mexico by calling her "dumb" for not posting promotional content. The Mexican contestant, Fátima Bosch, walked out and received broad public support. Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, described Bosch as an “example of how we women should speak out”.

Fátima—reportedly named after a Portuguese city associated with an Arab princess—went on to win the competition, defeating the crowd favourite, Miss Thailand. However, her victory was overshadowed by allegations of vote rigging after two of the eight judges resigned shortly before the final. One suggested the vote had been manipulated, while the other cited “unforeseen personal reasons”.

Mexican media have also drawn attention to business links between co-owner Rocha and Pemex, the Mexican state oil company where Bosch’s father has worked for decades. Both Rocha and Bosch’s father have denied having any personal business ties.

By Nazrin Sadigova