Jorge Hank Rhon

The Mexican soldiers stormed the casino mogul's Tijuana estate, rousting him out of bed and allegedly recovering a cache of 88 weapons, among them a revolver engraved with his name: Jorge Hank Rhon. Still in his pajamas, Hank was whisked to Mexico City to be questioned by federal investigators. The former Tijuana mayor, who claims to be a billionaire and is known for his eccentric tastes in exotic animals and tequila fermented with rattlesnake hides, has always dismissed allegations of links to drug traffickers and a notorious slaying.

The Mexican government's efforts to prosecute former Tijuana Mayor Jorge Hank Rhon collapsed Tuesday after a federal judge tossed out weapons charges and another judge blocked authorities' last-ditch efforts to keep him under arrest on a new murder charge. Hank, whose highly publicized arrest June 4 seemed to puncture the bubble of impunity that had long protected him, smiled as he walked away from detention at a hotel in Tijuana. Flanked by his attorneys, Hank's motorcade made its way back to his estate behind the historic Agua Caliente racetrack, which he owns, as supporters in cars honked their approval.

Jorge Hank Rhon, scion of one of Mexico's largest fortunes, is throwing a fiesta for the shack dwellers of Colonia Del Rio, a cliff-side shantytown that spills into a canyon just beyond where he stands in his alligator-skin boots. While Hank shares tacos with dozens of residents, no one mentions that authorities have named him as one of the possible suspects they are investigating in last month's killing of a crusading political journalist.

The Mexican soldiers stormed the casino mogul's Tijuana estate, rousting him out of bed and allegedly recovering a cache of 88 weapons, among them a revolver engraved with his name: Jorge Hank Rhon. Still in his pajamas, Hank was whisked to Mexico City to be questioned by federal investigators. The former Tijuana mayor, who claims to be a billionaire and is known for his eccentric tastes in exotic animals and tequila fermented with rattlesnake hides, has always dismissed allegations of links to drug traffickers and a notorious slaying.

The gambling tycoon had just breezed through another campaign stump speech when the poor farmers and mothers of a sweltering desert pueblo surged toward him trying to press pieces of crumpled paper into his hand. They are letters begging for help from Jorge Hank Rhon, the Tijuana multimillionaire running for governor of Baja California state. One woman requests a wheelchair for her disabled father. Another needs treatment for a tumor. "Give me justice, Mr.

Former Tijuana Mayor Jorge Hank Rhon returned to Baja California on Wednesday as a federal prisoner facing weapons charges. Hank, a controversial casino magnate seen by many critics as an emblem of impunity in Mexico, and 10 other suspects were moved from the capital to a prison in the border city of Tecate after federal prosecutors charged them with possession of prohibited weapons. The men were arrested during a military raid early Saturday at Hank's vast compound in Tijuana, where authorities say soldiers found 88 weapons and more than 9,000 rounds of ammunition.

The Mexican government's efforts to prosecute former Tijuana Mayor Jorge Hank Rhon collapsed Tuesday after a federal judge tossed out weapons charges and another judge blocked authorities' last-ditch efforts to keep him under arrest on a new murder charge. Hank, whose highly publicized arrest June 4 seemed to puncture the bubble of impunity that had long protected him, smiled as he walked away from detention at a hotel in Tijuana. Flanked by his attorneys, Hank's motorcade made its way back to his estate behind the historic Agua Caliente racetrack, which he owns, as supporters in cars honked their approval.

Mexico's tourism secretary, Carlos Hank Gonzalez, publicly denied Thursday that his son had any role in the sensational 1988 murder of a prominent journalist here, and also said he has never used his influence to obstruct the investigation of the homicide. "I know absolutely that my son did not participate in this deed, which we all regret," Hank said at a news conference here during which he principally addressed a series of tourism initiatives for the state of Baja California.

A Baja California electoral tribunal dealt a severe blow to the gubernatorial bid of Tijuana gambling tycoon Jorge Hank Rhon on Wednesday, annulling his candidacy seven weeks before the Mexican state's August election. Hank, the former mayor of Tijuana, was declared ineligible because a state law prohibits elected officials from running for office before completing their terms.

Former Tijuana Mayor Jorge Hank Rhon returned to Baja California on Wednesday as a federal prisoner facing weapons charges. Hank, a controversial casino magnate seen by many critics as an emblem of impunity in Mexico, and 10 other suspects were moved from the capital to a prison in the border city of Tecate after federal prosecutors charged them with possession of prohibited weapons. The men were arrested during a military raid early Saturday at Hank's vast compound in Tijuana, where authorities say soldiers found 88 weapons and more than 9,000 rounds of ammunition.

Mexican military forces on Saturday arrested the former mayor of Tijuana, Jorge Hank Rhon, after an early-morning raid at his compound resulted in the seizure of 88 weapons and more than 9,000 rounds of ammunition, military officials said. Hank, 55, a flamboyant casino mogul and one of Mexico's wealthiest men, was taken to the federal attorney general's office in Tijuana and then by armed convoy to an air force base, as supporters lined the streets to protest his transfer to Mexico City.

The gambling tycoon had just breezed through another campaign stump speech when the poor farmers and mothers of a sweltering desert pueblo surged toward him trying to press pieces of crumpled paper into his hand. They are letters begging for help from Jorge Hank Rhon, the Tijuana multimillionaire running for governor of Baja California state. One woman requests a wheelchair for her disabled father. Another needs treatment for a tumor. "Give me justice, Mr.

A Baja California electoral tribunal dealt a severe blow to the gubernatorial bid of Tijuana gambling tycoon Jorge Hank Rhon on Wednesday, annulling his candidacy seven weeks before the Mexican state's August election. Hank, the former mayor of Tijuana, was declared ineligible because a state law prohibits elected officials from running for office before completing their terms.

A gambling tycoon with a populist streak and a shadowy past appeared Monday to have won the narrowest of victories in Tijuana's mayoral election, giving the Institutional Revolutionary Party a major upset in a border city it has not governed for 15 years.

Jorge Hank Rhon, scion of one of Mexico's largest fortunes, is throwing a fiesta for the shack dwellers of Colonia Del Rio, a cliff-side shantytown that spills into a canyon just beyond where he stands in his alligator-skin boots. While Hank shares tacos with dozens of residents, no one mentions that authorities have named him as one of the possible suspects they are investigating in last month's killing of a crusading political journalist.

About 27,500 people, most of them from California, reveled Tuesday in what promoters said was Mexico's largest rock concert--the much-touted MexFest bash at Caliente Race Track here. Despite fears of security problems--about 600 security agents were on hand from Mexico and the United States--officials reported no serious incidents as of early evening. There were scattered scuffles in the crowd, but, overall, the situation appeared to be relatively orderly.

A gambling tycoon with a populist streak and a shadowy past appeared Monday to have won the narrowest of victories in Tijuana's mayoral election, giving the Institutional Revolutionary Party a major upset in a border city it has not governed for 15 years.

Long before Jorge Hank Rhon took over Caliente in 1985, the picturesque Mexican race track near San Diego was known as much for its survival struggles as for its innovations. On one hand, Caliente gave North American racing its first $100,000 race, the electronic starting gate, the jockeys' safety helmet, future-book betting on the Kentucky Derby, the inspiration for the pick six and a once-only look at Phar Lap, that brilliant, tragic horse from Australia.