IMG Academy to pay $1.7 million fine for accepting Mexican cartel money

The world of high school sports was rocked this week when powerhouse IMG Academy was hit with a massive fine for enrolling students and accepting tuition funds linked to Mexican drug cartels. This story leaves me with two main questions: 1. What? and 2. How do I get in on that?

IMG Academy got dinged by the feds to the tune of $1.72 million for the infractions:

Elite Florida sports academy to pay $1.7M fine for accepting students, tuition linked to Mexican cartels https://t.co/gfEkS5OI6e pic.twitter.com/qrKKYZMRaz

— New York Post (@nypost) February 18, 2026

IMG Academy, a prestigious Bradenton prep school known for its powerhouse sports program, will fork over the massive sum after being hit with nearly 90 counternarcotics violations for funneling money from two student athletes linked to a Mexican drug syndicate, according to the US Treasury Department.

The two students were enrolled at the premier boarding school and sports facility from 2018 to 2022.

Federal officials, who didn’t name the students or specify the sports they played, said IMG accepted annual tuition payments – $98,867 for one student and $102,235 for the other – from two “Specially Designated National” individuals who provided money and services to sanctioned drug cartels

The top-tier school received wire transfers from third-party individuals in Mexico, effectively giving cartels a way to move their money through the US financial system, officials said.

As a result, it was hit with 89 penalties for violating the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Sanctions Regulations.

I always knew IMG Academy was a sketchy institution. A high school pretty much entirely dedicated to elite athletic programs is counterintuitive to the spirit of American scholastic sports. But I never anticipated something of this magnitude.

Putting a kid’s athletic career over their education is one thing. But operating what amounts to a money laundering operation is patently insane.

Unfortunately, I know all too well what it’s like when sports are used for nefarious purposes. Just look at the Sixers. Josh Harris & Co. essentially use it as a front to prop up their other investments as well as fund a hedonistic lifestyle that saw him mentioned in the Epstein files.

Professional sports is at least a business. High school sports have become one, but that’s not right. When it comes to kids, I think it’s best we keep drug money as far away as possible from whatever enterprise we’re discussing.

That being said… I wouldn’t mind a little cartel money right now. If there’s a cartel kingpin out there whose kid needs golf lessons, I am very much available for hire. As a former golf camp counselor and DIII Grinder in the NESCAC – also voted Colby Golfer of the Year by my teammates – my resume speaks for itself.

I may not have the top facilities like IMG Academy, and the Philly area isn’t quite the paradise that Bradenton, Fla. is, but it builds character.

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