The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took significant action against six individuals and seven entities tied to the Sinaloa Cartel, as announced on March 31, 2025. This move targets a money laundering network supporting the cartel, known for its involvement in drug trafficking, particularly fentanyl, into the United States.
"The Sinaloa Cartel’s narco-terrorist enterprise is sustained by laundered drug money," said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. "Treasury will use all available tools to target anyone assisting the cartels."
The Sinaloa Cartel, designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the U.S. Department of State on February 20, 2025, had previously been sanctioned under multiple executive orders and acts. Over time, OFAC has applied sanctions to over 600 individuals and companies associated with the cartel.
The March 31 action falls under Executive Orders (E.O.) 14059 and 13224, which focus on targeting terrorist organizations and their financial networks. It involved cooperation between various U.S. and Mexican government entities, including the Drug Enforcement Administration and Mexico's Financial Intelligence Unit.
Enrique Dann Esparragoza Rosas, operating a network from Mexicali, has laundered at least $16.5 million for the cartel, using currency exchange businesses along the U.S.-Mexico border. Other individuals targeted include Alan Viramontes Sesteaga, who coordinates money laundering activities, Salvador Diaz Rodriguez, and Israel Daniel Paez Vargas, who both face charges for conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.
From another front, Alberto David Benguiat Jimenez’s network has allegedly moved over $50 million in drug proceeds using various shell companies, with close associate Christian Noe Amador Valenzuela also facing charges.
The sanctions prevent all U.S.-based entities from engaging in transactions with those listed. Violations of these sanctions carry potential civil or criminal penalties.
The action aligns with a broader strategy to address drug trafficking affecting over 100,000 American lives annually. It highlights the U.S. effort to curtail the economic networks behind such activities, with OFAC continuously pursuing accountability for foreign drug operators.
OFAC emphasized that its sanctions aim to encourage behavior change, with opportunities for sanctioned individuals and entities to be removed from the list upon compliance with relevant guidelines.
