Sinaloa cartel slapped with Trump admin sanctions in blow to drug empire

The Trump medication announced a barrage of sanctions against the behemoth Sinaloa cartel, arsenic the White House grapples with controlling the deadly menace posed by Mexican cause cartels.

The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) connected Tuesday designated six individuals and 7 entities progressive successful a money-laundering web supporting the Sinaloa cartel, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).

The caput of the Drug Enforcement Administration said past twelvemonth that the U.S. is facing the "most unsafe and deadly cause crisis" successful its past with fentanyl and methamphetamine flowing crossed the borderline — and that the "Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels are astatine the bosom of this crisis." 

The sweeping determination by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent came arsenic the Trump medication continues to ace down connected Mexican cause cartels.

"Laundered cause wealth is the lifeblood of the Sinaloa cartel’s narco-terrorist enterprise, lone made imaginable done trusted fiscal facilitators similar those we person designated today," Bessent said. 

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Scott Bessent, laminitis and main enforcement serviceman of Key Square Group LP, speaks during an interrogation astatine the Republican National Convention adjacent the Fiserv Forum successful Milwaukee connected Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (Vincent Alban/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Money launderers for the Sinola Cartel

The Treasury Department spotlighted the circumstantial individuals and organizations deed by the sanctions. The bureau noted that assets held successful institutions successful the U.S. are present required to beryllium frozen and reported to the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Enrique Dann Esparragoza Rosas operates a wealth laundering organization, overseeing respective cells based successful Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, the section said.

Esparragoza’s enactment transfers illicit narcotics proceeds from the U.S. to Mexico utilizing a currency arbitrage strategy successful which dollars are traded for Mexican pesos astatine currency speech businesses on the U.S.-Mexico borderline betwixt Imperial County, California, and Mexicali, Baja California.

Esparragoza’s clients see the 4 sons of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera, known arsenic "Los Chapitos," and the Sinaloa cartel faction led by Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garcia. 

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As of April 2023, Esparragoza’s enactment had allegedly laundered astatine slightest $16.5 cardinal for Sinaloa cartel clients. The Treasury Department said that helium controls Tapgas Mexico S.A. de C.V., a institution based successful Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico. 

Alan Viramontes Sesteaga is simply a high-ranking subordinate of the Sinaloa cartel who reports to Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, 1 of Los Chapitos, the section said.

The Treasury Department said that Viramontes establishes straw businesses and concern representatives and coordinates ample bulk currency pickups connected behalf of the FTO. 

Read astir the Sinaloa wealth laundering network. Mobile users click here

Salvador Diaz Rodriguez and Israel Daniel Paez Vargas are allegedly Mexicali-based wealth launderers who run connected behalf of the Sinaloa cartel. 

Diaz besides works arsenic an enforcer successful Mexicali, collecting "taxes" connected behalf of a section transgression organization, including done the usage of violence, according to the department, which said that helium is known to termination those who bash not wage the required amount. 

Paez is besides accused of being a recruiter for Alberto David Benguiat Jimenez’s wealth laundering enactment and being progressive successful laundering wealth connected behalf of the Sinaloa cartel. 

On March 31, 2025, the United States District Court for the Southern District of California unsealed an indictment charging Paez with conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and conspiracy to import and administer methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl. 

Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the caput of Mexico's Sinaloa cartel, is escorted to a chopper successful Mexico City pursuing his seizure successful the formation edifice municipality of Mazatlan. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File)

Also connected March 31, 2025, the United States District Court for the Southern District of California unsealed an indictment charging Diaz with conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. 

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Alberto David Benguiat Jimenez is based successful Mexico City and allegedly operates a wealth laundering web moving illicit narcotics proceeds from the U.S. into Mexico connected behalf of the Sinaloa cartel and OFAC-designated fentanyl trafficker Jose Angel Rivera Zazueta, whose cause trafficking enactment imports precursor chemicals from China into Mexico to manufacture synthetic drugs, including fentanyl, MDMA (ecstasy), crystal methamphetamine and ketamine. 

Benguiat’s web has laundered implicit $50 cardinal to date, the section said. The U.S. charged Benguiat with conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and transmit monetary instruments for the intent of laundering. 

Christian Noe Amador Valenzuela is simply a adjacent subordinate of Benguiat who launders wealth arsenic a portion of the network. He was besides charged with conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.

Mexican subject and constabulary patrol successful Culiacan, Sinaloa state, Mexico, Jan. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Martin Urista, File)

The rollout of the sanctions against Sinaloa cartel members comes conscionable weeks aft President Donald Trump designated the Sinaloa cartel and 7 different transgression groups crossed Latin America arsenic FTOs.

FBI Director Kash Patel besides announced successful March that the national instrumentality enforcement bureau had extradited a person of the convulsive transgression pack MS-13 from Mexico.

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The medication has besides invoked the Alien Enemies Act to expedite the removal of suspected Tren de Aragua members.