US Treasury sanctions 4 cartel members in Mexico

By Ovunc Kutlu

ANKARA (AA) - The US Treasury Department said Wednesday it sanctioned four members of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) in Mexico.

The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated the CJNG Mexican nationals for operating through the port of Manzanillo in Colima and the surrounding areas.

OFAC characterized CJNG as a violent Mexico-based organization and claimed it is responsible for trafficking a significant proportion of fentanyl and other deadly drugs that enter the US.

"CJNG’s criminal success is partly due to its influence over strategic locations such as Manzanillo," OFAC Director Andrea M. Gacki said in a statement. "This Pacific coast port serves as a significant gateway for Colombian cocaine and precursor chemicals imported from Asia, including those used to synthesize fentanyl for ultimate distribution in the US."

The Treasury Department said OFAC collaborated with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Mexico’s Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF).

The UIF in June 2020 blocked three of the four individuals' bank accounts in Mexico due to their support for CJNG, the statement noted.

"Together, they help coordinate CJNG’s drug trafficking operations through the port of Manzanillo and maintain contact with cocaine sources of supply in Colombia," it said.

"CJNG’s expansion and control of strategic drug trafficking territory, including the state of Colima and its port of Manzanillo, has come in part through violence against rivals and Mexican government officials," it added.