US Treasury Sanctions Sinaloa Cartel Associates Over Crypto Money Laundering
The United States Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has enforced sanctions in opposition to people and entities linked to a Mexican cartel that’s trafficking illicit medicine and laundering the proceeds by means of cryptocurrency networks.
According to a press launch from the Treasury, these people and entities lead networks that launder the proceeds of fentanyl and different narcotics trafficking actions for the Sinaloa Cartel. The laundering schemes funnel the income again to Mexico by means of blockchain networks.
Treasury Sanctions Illicit Drug Traffickers
A multi-year investigation by U.S. authorities has discovered that Jesus Gonzalez Penuelas heads the illicit medicine trafficking community within the U.S., whereas Armando de Jesus Ojeda Aviles leads the revenue laundering schemes on behalf of the Sinaloa Cartel. This cartel, chargeable for a number of violent deaths in Mexico and drug-induced deaths in America, has been deemed a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the U.S.
The sons of the imprisoned drug trafficker Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera run the Sinaloa Cartel, with the assistance of the just-sanctioned people. While steering the wheels of the drug trafficking from Mexico, Aviles will depend on associates like Penuelas and Rodrigo Alarcon Palomares to select up money and dealer transfers by means of crypto addresses. The medicine which might be bought embrace cocaine and methamphetamine.
A U.S. District Court in Colorado indicted Palomares in April 2024 for laundering drug proceeds. He was discovered responsible on three counts of laundering drug proceeds through cryptocurrency. During his arrest in October 2023, Mexican authorities discovered weapons and ammunition in his possession. Despite Palomares’ arrest, the Sinaloa Cartel’s trafficking actions have waxed stronger.
Protecting American Communities
Aviles’ community contains Mexico-based drug suppliers, cash brokers, and coordinators of big wire transfers throughout the U.S. He can be affiliated with Los Chapitos, a hyper-violent faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, having taken over as the first launderer of the group following the homicide of his predecessor, Mario Alberto Jimenez Castro.
Besides Aviles and Penuelas, the Treasury additionally introduced sanctions in opposition to Jesus Alonso Aispuro Felix, businessman Alfredo Orozco Romero, Amalia Margarita Romero Moreno, and Liliana Orozco Romero, amongst others. Most of those associates function cash brokers, safety advisors, and trusted entrance individuals.
The sanctions replicate efforts to guard American communities and residents. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent mentioned: “As President Trump has made clear, this Administration is not going to enable narco-terrorists to flood our borders with poison.”
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