*The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (Ofac) has announced sanctions against the Cárteles Unidos, a grouping of drug trafficking organisations (DTOs) based in Michoacán state, and Los Viagras, another criminal group based in Michoacán, as well as seven affiliated individuals, while the US Department of Justice (DoJ) also announced charges against five alleged high-ranking members of Cárteles Unidos. According to the Treasury, the sanctions look to disrupt the groups’ involvement in extortion in Mexico’s agricultural sector. It follows other Ofac sanctions targeting alternative revenue streams for Mexican cartels, such as networks engaged in fuel theft, arms trafficking, and human smuggling. Under the sanctions, all property and interests in property of the designated individuals in the US are blocked and must be reported to Ofac, as well as any companies owned directly or indirectly by those sanctioned. The sanctions complement criminal charges announced by the DoJ against Juan José Farías Álvarez, known as ‘El Abuelo’, Alfonso Fernández Magallón, known as ‘Poncho’, Luis Enrique Barragán Chávez, known as ‘Wicho’ or ‘R5’, Edgar Orozco Cabadas, known as ‘El Kamoni’, and Nicolás Sierra Santana, known as ‘El Gordo’. According to the DoJ, Farías Álvarez serves as the leader of the Cárteles Unidos, which was designated as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US in February, personally overseeing large shipments of illicit drugs, including methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl, to the US. It adds that Sierra Santana leads Los Viagras, which until recently sat under the Cárteles Unidos banner.
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