US Treasury Department sanctions 46 linked to Sinaloa Cartel

Ismael Zambada: Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada is a co-founder and former top leader of the Sinaloa Cartel who was arrested in 2024 and subsequently sentenced to life in US prison. His incarceration has shifted power dynamics within the cartel, prompting sanctions against his son who now leads a key faction. Sinaloa Cartel: The Sinaloa Cartel is a major Mexican drug trafficking organization with extensive networks for producing and smuggling narcotics. The sanctions specifically target its Los Mayos faction and associated corruption networks operating near the US-Mexico border. US Treasury Department: The US Treasury Department is the executive agency responsible for managing federal finances and enforcing economic sanctions through its Office of Foreign Assets Control. In this development, it designated dozens of individuals and entities tied to the Sinaloa Cartel, including leadership and facilitators involved in cross-border operations. Faction Dynamics: Following the arrest of longtime leader Ismael Zambada, his son has risen as the head of the Los Mayos faction amid ongoing internal cartel conflicts. Sanctions Action: The Treasury Department targeted individuals and businesses, including those accused of money laundering and political corruption to support cartel activities in Baja California. Administration Focus: The Trump administration is prioritizing sanctions to disrupt cartel leadership and facilitators involved in drug trafficking and bribery networks near the US border.