The U.S. government sanctioned six individuals associated with the Sinaloa Cartel for their involvement in the illegal trade of methamphetamine and fentanyl.
Additionally, six Mexican-based entities were designated for their role in the network, which is led by brothers Ludim Zamudio Lerma and Luis Alfonso Zamudio Lerma, according to a Feb. 22 State Department news release. The group is accused of supplying precursor chemicals to the Sinaloa Cartel and its labs.
“While the international drug trafficking enterprise is adaptive and destructive, it is far from invulnerable. The United States will continue taking action to disrupt and dismantle the illicit narcotics trade,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a post on Twitter.
“The Zamudio Lerma brothers and their network enable the production of synthetic drugs that devastate American lives, while lining the pockets of Sinaloa Cartel leadership," Office of Foreign Assets Control Director Andrea Gacki said in a Treasury Department release. “Depriving this network of access and resources will hinder the Sinaloa Cartel's ability to produce and traffic the illicit drugs it depends on.”
OFAC designated four companies in Mexico for their connections with Ludim Zamudio Lerma and Luis Alfonso Zamudio Lerma, the Treasury Department release reported. Inmobiliaria del Rio Humaya and Operadora Zait are two real estate businesses owned or controlled by Ludim Zamudio Lerma, while Operadora del Humaya and Operadora Parque Alamedas are two import/export companies owned or controlled by Ludim Zamudio Lerma and Ludim Zamudio Ibarra.
OFAC has taken this action to disrupt the financial networks of these individuals, who are believed to be involved in organized crime and drug trafficking, the Treasury Department reported.
