The cartel is allegedly involved in criminal activities including murder, beheading, drug trafficking, extortion, and money laundering.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on Aug. 6 against three high-ranking members and a prominent associate of the Mexican Cartel del Noreste, known as “Los Zetas,” based in Mexico.
The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced in a statement that it has sanctioned four key individuals linked to the Cartel del Noreste (CDN).
They are identified as Abdón Federico Rodríguez García, second-in-command of the CDN; Antonio Romero Sánchez (Romero), a high-ranking member of the CDN; Francisco Daniel Esqueda Nieto (Esqueda), head of tactical operations for the CDN; and Ricardo Hernández Medrano, known by his stage names El Makabelico or Comando Exclusivo, a popular rapper and a CDN associate.
According to OFAC, the designated individuals have been facilitating a widespread campaign of violence and narco-terrorism that includes crimes such as murder, beheading, drug trafficking, extortion, and money laundering.
The action is the result of a coordinated operation with agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Antonio and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
“Treasury, in close coordination with our law enforcement partners, is committed to a full-frontal assault on the cartels, targeting the leadership and revenue streams that enable their horrific crimes,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in the Aug. 6 statement.
“Under President Trump, the Treasury Department will continue to be relentless in its effort to put America First by targeting terrorist drug cartels. These cartels poison Americans with fentanyl and conduct human smuggling operations along our southwest border.”
The CDN is one of Mexico’s most violent drug trafficking organizations. On Jan. 20, it was designated by the United States as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) due to its significant influence on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, specifically at the port of entry in Laredo, Texas.
“CDN’s influence in the Mexican border cities of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, and Piedras Negras, Coahuila, has affected communities on both sides of the border, and the cartel’s role in fentanyl trafficking and human smuggling into the United States puts American lives at risk,” OFAC said in the statement.
