The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions on Aug. 9 against 10 individuals, including three members of the Sinaloa Cartel, for their involvement in trafficking fentanyl and other lethal drugs, as part of an effort to cut off the supply chain and limit the financial capabilities of these criminal organizations, an OFAC news release said.
"Today’s action targets key individuals responsible for facilitating the illicit trafficking of deadly drugs, including fentanyl, into the United States, where it wreaks havoc on our communities,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson in the press release. “Treasury remains committed to leveraging our tools in support of our whole-of-government effort to aggressively target all aspects of the supply chain and starve these criminal groups of the funding they need to operate.”
The coordinated move, in close collaboration with the Mexican government and agencies like Mexico's Financial Intelligence Unit and the Drug Enforcement Administration's San Diego Field Division, also involved other agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation's San Diego Field Office, the San Diego County District Attorney's Office, and the San Diego Sheriff's Department, the release said.
Two of those designated, Alfonso Arzate Garcia and Rene Arzate Garcia, are based in Baja California, Mexico. Known as "plaza bosses" for the Sinaloa Cartel, they oversee the cartel's drug trafficking in Tijuana and nearby areas. Their operations involve the importation of significant amounts of illicit drugs, notably fentanyl, into the U.S. Both brothers, recognized for their violent tendencies, have been involved in activities like kidnappings and executions for the cartel. In 2014, they were indicted in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California and currently remain at large.
Also sanctioned was Rafael Guadalupe Felix Nuñez (Felix Nuñez), who began his criminal career as a hitman for the Sinaloa Cartel and rose in the organization, the Treasury release said. He has also been a fugitive since being indicted in California in 2014, the release said.
"As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of the designated individuals and entities that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be blocked and reported to OFAC. In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked, the Treasury release said, explaining the effect of sanctions.
