US sanctions multiple entities linked to Mexican cartel for fentanyl trafficking

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) - The US Treasury Department announced Tuesday that it imposed sanctions on multiple entities linked to a Mexican cartel.

Those sanctioned include nine Mexican nationals and 26 Mexico-based entities linked to a fuel theft network that generates millions of dollars benefiting the Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) Cartel.

The US agency said CJNG is a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization that is responsible for a significant proportion of fentanyl and other deadly drugs trafficked into the US.

It added that Mexico-based drug trafficking cartels such as CJNG have turned to fuel theft in recent years, resulting in billions of dollars in lost revenue to the Mexican government.

"President (Joe) Biden, Vice President (Kamala) Harris and the Treasury Department are committed to taking decisive action to disrupt the funding and operations of deadly fentanyl-trafficking cartels like CJNG," the Treasury Department's deputy secretary, Wally Adeyemo, said in a statement.

"CJNG’s diverse revenue streams, including fuel theft, ultimately strengthen its ability to traffic fentanyl and other deadly drugs into the United States," he added.