Secretary of the Treasury, Janet L. Yellen, recently announced that the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions on members associated with the Beltrán Leyva Organization for Fentanyl Trafficking.
The OFAC has sanctioned 15 Mexican individuals, including some U.S. fugitives, and two Mexico-based companies tied to the Beltrán Leyva Organization (BLO).
Identified as one of the most powerful drug trafficking organizations worldwide, BLO is heavily involved in transporting and distributing drugs, including fentanyl, to the United States.
Yellen made this announcement during her visit to Mexico City. There she is liaising with Mexican government officials and private sector representatives to bolster collaboration on countering fentanyl trafficking and other illicit finance-related priorities.
These sanctions follow the inception of Treasury’s Counter-Fentanyl Strike Force. This initiative aims to utilize expertise and capabilities to disrupt financial networks supporting drug cartels' trafficking of fentanyl and other lethal drugs.
The Beltrán Leyva Organization has been a major transporter of multi-ton quantities of cocaine into the United States for over two decades. The organization is identified as a significant contributor to the opioid epidemic, capitalizing on the profitable market for illicit fentanyl in the United States.
These sanctions were coordinated closely with the Government of Mexico, including La Unidad de Inteligencia Financiera (Mexico’s Financial Intelligence Unit), following guidelines from the Bicentennial Framework which directs bilateral security cooperation between the United States and Mexico.
All property and interests in property belonging to these designated persons within the United States are now blocked and must be reported to OFAC. U.S. citizens are prohibited from engaging in transactions involving property owned by these designated persons, with violations potentially resulting in civil or criminal penalties.
