US to punish Mexican drug cartel Jalisco over fentanyl trafficking

FIRST ON FOX: The Treasury Department is expected to announce sanctions on Tuesday against individuals and entities linked to a violent drug cartel in Mexico that is responsible for a significant portion of the fentanyl and other deadly drugs smuggled into the United States, Fox News Digital has learned.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control is announcing sanctions against nine Mexican nationals and 26 Mexico-based entities linked to a fuel theft ring that generates tens of millions of dollars for the Jalisco Nueva Generacion cartel.

‘MOST CUREABLE’ MEXICAN CARTELS OPERATE IN ALL 50 STATES, BRINGING TERRITORY WARS TO US: DEA

Mexican drug cartels, such as the Jalisco Nueva Generacion cartel, have turned to fuel theft in recent years, resulting in billions of dollars in lost revenue for the Mexican government.

The Treasury Department’s action to impose sanctions was coordinated with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Mexican government. U.S. officials also worked with Mexico’s financial intelligence agency.

Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo told Fox News Digital that the Biden administration is “committed to taking decisive action to disrupt the financing and operations of deadly fentanyl cartels like CJNG.”

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According to Adeyemo, the cartel’s “various revenue streams, including fuel theft, ultimately enhance its ability to smuggle fentanyl and other deadly drugs into the United States.”

“The Treasury Department will continue to use its expertise and resources to take on ruthless drug gangs, make our communities safer, and keep toxic drugs like fentanyl off our streets,” Adeyemo said.

Last year, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on members of the Sinaloa cartel.

US IMPOSES SANCTIONS ON MEMBERS OF SINALOA CARTEL, INCLUDING ‘THE ANTHRACTOR MONKEY’, AS PART OF ANTI-FENTANYL ACTIONS

Earlier this year, the DEA said the Jalisco Nueva Generacion and Sinaloa cartels have flooded major U.S. cities with meth and fentanyl, and they use violence to protect their territory.

“Together, the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels have caused the worst damage drug crisis in American history,” the DEA report said.

Sinaloa and Jalisco have “effectively eliminated all competition in the U.S. market” and “dictate the flow of nearly all illicit drugs” into the country, the report said, noting that thousands of dealers with ties to the cartel are currently operating in the U.S.

End of April, 12 human traffickers with ties to the Jalisco Cartel were sentenced to terms ranging from 4.5 to 40 years in federal prison after being arrested in 2021 in Del Rio, Texas, for coordinating a shipment of nearly 440 pounds of liquid methamphetamine worth $9.9 million.

During that particular investigation, authorities seized approximately 650 kilograms of methamphetamine, 17 firearms, $220,922 in cash and $12,200 worth of real estate, federal prosecutors in North Texas said.

Fentanyl, which can be deadly even in small doses, has killed more than 70,000 Americans each year. It is often laced with other medications or mixed into counterfeit pills, leaving users unaware of what they are taking.

The drug is primarily produced in Mexico by drug cartels using Chinese precursors and then transported across the US land border.

The Biden administration has created a global coalition to address the threat of fentanyl, including working with countries like Mexico to crack down on smugglers and regulate the chemical.

Last year, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen launched the Counter-Fentanyl Strike Force. In April, Yellen announced the launch of an exchange with the People’s Republic of China to “enhance cooperation in combating money laundering related to drug trafficking and other crimes.”

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