The United States and Mexico on Thursday announced what they described as their largest coordinated financial action against the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), sanctioning 55 individuals and businesses accused of laundering money and supporting one of the world's most powerful drug trafficking organizations.
The measures target 39 people and 16 companies spanning industries including fuel, tequila production, agriculture, construction, logistics, furniture manufacturing and private security.
The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said, through a statement, that the action was carried out in coordination with Mexico's Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF). The Treasury froze any U.S.-based assets belonging to those designated, while Mexico's UIF filed a criminal complaint with the Attorney General's Office alleging money laundering and added those identified to its Blocked Persons List, according to El País.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the sanctions target the cartel's "leadership, financiers, and criminal networks," adding that they are intended to deny CJNG "the resources it uses to traffic fentanyl, terrorize communities, and threaten American lives."
Among those sanctioned is Juan Carlos González, also known as Juan Carlos Valencia González or "Pelón," whom U.S. authorities identify as CJNG's new leader following the death of his stepfather, cartel founder Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho."
Treasury said González is under indictment in the United States on federal drug trafficking charges and that the State Department is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
The sanctions also target financial networks tied to senior cartel figures including Audias Flores Silva, alias "El Jardinero," and Gerardo Botello Rodríguez, known as "El Cachas." According to U.S. and Mexican authorities, relatives and business associates helped conceal illicit proceeds through a network of front companies operating across several Mexican states.
Treasury alleged those businesses included gas stations, liquor stores, tequila producers, agricultural firms, construction companies, furniture manufacturers and a private security company licensed to carry firearms.
Authorities said CJNG has diversified beyond drug trafficking into fuel theft, fuel smuggling and other criminal enterprises while continuing to produce and distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine. Treasury also sanctioned individuals accused of operating cocaine trafficking and third-party money laundering networks that allegedly moved tens of millions of dollars in cartel proceeds annually.
The Treasury Department said Thursday's action is part of a broader campaign against transnational criminal organizations. Since 2025, OFAC has taken nearly 30 actions against approximately 250 individuals and entities linked to cartels, using what it described as a network-based strategy designed to simultaneously target leadership, facilitators, front companies and financial enablers.
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