The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced on Apr. 14 that it has sanctioned six targets involved in a money laundering and cash smuggling operation run by Cartel del Noreste (CDN), a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization operating along the U.S.-Mexico border near Laredo, Texas.
The action is intended to disrupt CDN's financial networks and criminal operations, which include fentanyl trafficking, human smuggling, extortion, and money laundering. OFAC said the sanctions target three individuals central to CDN’s control over Nuevo Laredo in Tamaulipas, Mexico, as well as two casinos affiliated with the cartel—one located just two miles from the U.S. border.
"As President Trump has made clear, Treasury will use all tools to protect our nation from violent cartels looking to reign terror on innocent Americans," said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. "Treasury will continue to target the diverse revenue streams that cartels rely on to sustain their operations, which include trafficking fentanyl and illegal aliens into the United States."
According to OFAC, Casino Centenario in Nuevo Laredo is used by CDN as a stash house for drugs and a means for laundering illicit proceeds through its gaming activities. The backrooms are reportedly used for intimidation tactics against enemies of the cartel. The casino operator CAMSA was also sanctioned for its role in supporting these activities; CAMSA operates another property called Diamante Casino in Tampico and runs an associated gambling website.
Among those designated is Eduardo Javier Islas Valdez (“Crosty”), who oversees human smuggling operations across the Rio Grande into Texas and manages cash stash houses sustaining CDN's cross-border enterprise. Other individuals sanctioned include Juan Pablo Penilla Rodriguez—a defense attorney accused of acting as an intermediary between incarcerated cartel leaders—and Jesus Reymundo Ramos Vazquez (Raymundo Ramos), identified as leading disinformation campaigns under cover of human rights activism.
The sanctions block all property belonging to these individuals or entities within U.S. jurisdiction or held by U.S persons; they also prohibit most transactions involving blocked parties unless authorized by OFAC license or exemption. Violations may result in civil or criminal penalties for both domestic and foreign persons found engaging with designated entities or individuals.
OFAC noted that it can remove persons from its Specially Designated Nationals list if warranted under law but emphasized that sanctions aim at encouraging positive behavioral change rather than punishment alone.
