The United States has imposed sanctions on five leaders of the Mexican Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), citing their involvement in killings and drug trafficking.
The sanctions, levied by the US Department of the Treasury, target individuals who are believed to be responsible for a significant share of fentanyl and other illegal drugs entering the US.
The CJNG is said to use murder, including the targeted killing of women, as a tool of intimidation against its rivals. According to the Treasury Department, the cartel’s actions highlight the “brutal prevalence of femicide” in Mexico, where femicide often goes unpunished and affects a significant portion of the country’s women.
Among the five leaders sanctioned is Nemesio Ruben “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, the leader of CJNG, who has a $15m reward offered for information leading to his capture. Another individual sanctioned is Ricardo Ruiz Velasco, a cartel commander closely linked to El Mencho, who is believed to be the prime suspect in the murder of TikTok influencer Valeria Marquez.
Marquez, 23, was killed in May in a beauty salon where she worked, during a live stream on TikTok. The Treasury Department said that Ruiz has been identified as the prime suspect in her murder. Other leaders sanctioned include Julio Alberto Castillo Rodriguez, Gonzalo Mendoza Gaytan, and Audias Flores Silva.
The US has designated CJNG as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization” and “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” in February, highlighting the cartel’s significant threat to the country’s national security. The sanctions imposed on the cartel leaders demonstrate the US government’s commitment to disrupting the cartel’s operations and holding its leaders accountable for their actions.
The sanctions are expected to further strain US-Mexico relations, with the US Treasury Department stating that the designations are aimed at disrupting the CJNG’s ability to traffic illicit drugs into the US, thereby protecting American communities from the cartel’s violence and narcotics.