The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has named two members of a Mexican cartel as responsible for trafficking high-caliber firearms from the U.S. into Mexico.
According to a news release, two leading members of the violent organization Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) were also involved in gasoline theft. Another person and one Mexican company that helped CJNG by laundering money from illegal drug sales were also designated by OFAC.
Fentanyl and other lethal substances are brought into the United States by gangs such as CJNG, which has a strong presence in Mexico.
The violent top CJNG members, Alonso Guerrero Covarrubias and Javier Guerrero Covarrubias, were identified as involved in a multitude of illegal activities on behalf of the criminal organization.
Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said the U.S. will continue to go after individuals involved in the distribution of fentanyl.
“CJNG relies upon a web of criminal activity that ultimately strengthens its ability to traffic fentanyl and other deadly drugs to the United States,” he said. “[This] action disrupts key support networks engaged in arms trafficking, fuel theft and drug-related money laundering,”
Depicted as a violent Mexico-based drug trafficking organization, CJNG is responsible for a significant proportion of fentanyl and other deadly drugs trafficked into the United States.
“[The] Treasury, in close coordination with the government of Mexico and U.S. law enforcement, will continue to target those who support and supply drug trafficking and criminal organizations, especially those engaged in the production and distribution of synthetic opioids that claim the lives of tens of thousands of Americans each year,” Nelson said.
The current action results from continued coordination between Homeland Security Investigations (ICE), the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Northern Command. It was closely coordinated with the Mexican government, especially La Unidad de Inteligencia Financiera.
