Latest news with #CarteldelNoreste
Boston Globe
10 hours ago
- Boston Globe
These are drug cartels designated as terrorists by the US
Sinaloa Cartel Based in Sinaloa state, in western Mexico Founded more than 30 years ago by Joaquin Guzmán Loera, the drug lord known as El Chapo, and Ismael Zambada García, a boss known as El Mayo, the Sinaloa Cartel has long stood as one of the world's most formidable criminal syndicates. Coordinating an umbrella of criminal cells — not only from Sinaloa state but also from across Mexico, with partners, associates, and operatives around the world — the cartel has become a leading producer of fentanyl, the opioid that has had a devastating effect in the United States. Advertisement But after years evading capture, El Chapo is now serving a life sentence in the United States, and last year, one of his sons abducted Zambada, handing him to US authorities. That set off a war within the cartel — now taking place as the Mexican government, pushed by the Trump administration, is aggressively cracking down on the group. Advertisement Still, the cartel has found ways to adapt and continues to smuggle fentanyl and other drugs into the United States, illustrating how difficult it would be to uproot its network. Jalisco New Generation Cartel Based in Jalisco state, in western Mexico The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, long an archrival to the Sinaloa Cartel, now looks poised to become one of the world's largest drug traffickers through an alliance with a Sinaloa faction controlled by El Chapo's sons. The Jalisco cartel has entrenched itself in large parts of the illegal and legal sectors of Mexico's economy, profiting off not just drugs and weapons but also real estate, avocados, and timeshares. The group has a well-developed network across the Americas, with links into Australia, China, and Southeast Asia, according to the US State Department. Like its competitors, the gang has used brazen acts of violence to maintain control. The group is believed to be linked to the 2020 assassination of the former governor of the state of Jalisco, as well as a training and recruitment camp discovered in the state this year. Cartel del Noreste Based in Nuevo Leon state, in northeastern Mexico The Cartel del Noreste began as the Zetas, violent enforcers of another group. In the early 2000s, the Zetas gained prominence by using violence to send public messages, and by 2012 controlled large swaths of territory. Internal rivalries and the killing of its leader by the Mexican Marines in 2012 appeared to weaken the Zetas. But a splinter of the gang reemerged as Cartel del Noreste, which operated across both sides of the border, trafficking drugs, weapons, and migrants across the border for enormous profits. Advertisement Tren de Aragua Originated in Venezuela From a prison in a northern Venezuelan state, Tren de Aragua's network and influence has spread to other parts of Latin America, and the group has become known for exploiting vulnerable migrants through trafficking and kidnapping. The Biden administration labeled the gang a transnational criminal organization in 2024, and in the United States, people accused of affiliations with it have been charged with crimes such as shootings and human trafficking, mostly targeting members of the Venezuelan community. The Trump administration has made the gang a focus of its deportation efforts and rhetoric, which Venezuelan asylum-seekers say casts an atmosphere of suspicion and stigma over those fleeing violence and political repression. The group has been said to work with another organization, the Cartel de los Soles, that the Trump administration says has ties to Venezuela's president, Nicolás Maduro. However, experts say little is known about such a group, and Venezuela's defense minister dismissed it Friday as an 'invention' by the US government. MS-13 Linked to El Salvador MS-13 emerged on the streets of Los Angeles in the 1980s as a criminal network among immigrants from El Salvador and has shifted its power base to Central America. The group was the first criminal street gang designated as a transnational criminal organization by the US Treasury Department in 2012. It was among the gangs that created chaos and violence in El Salvador for many years, until President Nayib Bukele cracked down on criminal groups through a campaign of mass arrests starting in 2022. The group was a primary target of Trump during his first term, and officials in his second term have continued to prosecute cases. But Bukele has also helped Trump's deportation efforts, for which the United States has paid El Salvador millions of dollars, adding an important sweetener at Bukele's request: the return of key MS-13 leaders in US custody. Advertisement US prosecutors have amassed substantial evidence of a corrupt pact between the Salvadoran government and some high-ranking MS-13 leaders, who they say agreed to drive down violence and bolster Bukele politically. Bukele has denied the existence of such a pact. Gulf Cartel Based in Tamaulipas state, in northern Mexico One of the oldest criminal organizations in Mexico, the gang for years made much of its money and reputation from smuggling cocaine and marijuana across the US border. In the early 2000s, it was one of three main groups behind Mexico's gang wars. Fighting between the Gulf Cartel and their onetime enforcers, the Zetas, turned parts of the region into a battle zone, sending thousands fleeing. In 2012, Mexico celebrated the arrest of the gang's top leader, but his detention, and that of other Gulf Cartel members, created a vacuum that was quickly filled by other leaders. La Nueva Familia Michoacana Based in Michoacán state, in western Mexico La Nueva Familia Michoacana rapidly rose to power in Mexico's crowded drug wars. In their home state of Michoacán, the group made much of its money through kidnapping and extortion. As their control spread, they employed bloodier tactics to enforce their power, sometimes attaching notes to the bodies of beheaded victims. Last year, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the group's leaders as part of an operation to target fentanyl trafficking in the United States. In April, US prosecutors charged senior members of the gang with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Advertisement This article originally appeared in
Epoch Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Epoch Times
US Treasury Sanctions Members of Mexican Cartel ‘Los Zetas,' Including Rapper El Makabelico
The U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on Aug. 6 against three high-ranking members and a prominent associate of the Mexican Cartel del Noreste, known as 'Los Zetas,' based in Mexico. The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced in a statement that it has sanctioned four key individuals linked to the Cartel del Noreste (CDN).
Qatar Tribune
4 days ago
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
US sanctions Mexico cartel members, including rapper El Makabelico
Agencies Washington The US Department of the Treasury has announced sanctions on assets of four individuals that it linked to Mexico-based Cartel del Noreste, including the popular hip-hop artist El Makabelico. The sanctions target three 'high-ranking members' of Cartel del Noreste (Northeast Cartel), which splintered off from Los Zetas, as well as an alleged 'prominent associate' of the group, Ricardo Hernandez, a 34-year-old musician known as El Makabelico who has millions of followers on social media. The Treasury said El Makabelico's concerts and events are used to launder money on behalf of the organisation, 'with 50 percent of his royalties from streaming platforms going directly to the group.' The Treasury identified the three other individuals as Abdon Rodriguez, Antonio Romero, and Francisco Esqueda. Washington said the sanctioned individuals have played a critical role in the cartel's activities, including drug trafficking, extortion, and money laundering. The Treasury said it had previously sanctioned two 'high-ranking members' of the cartel in May. The cartel was among those that President Donald Trump's administration in February designated as 'global terrorist organisations'. 'The Treasury Department will continue to be relentless in its effort to put America First by targeting terrorist drug cartels. These cartels poison Americans with fentanyl and conduct human smuggling operations along our southwest border,' said US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a statement by the Treasury Department. 'Treasury, in close coordination with our law enforcement partners, is committed to a full-frontal assault on the cartels, targeting the leadership and revenue streams that enable their horrific crimes.' The Cartel del Noreste is considered one of Mexico's most violent drug trafficking organisations and wields significant influence along the US-Mexico border, particularly in Laredo, Texas, the Treasury said. DEL Records, which Hernandez lists as his label on social media, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Los Angeles Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Trump administration sanctions a Mexican rapper over allegations of cartel ties
MEXICO CITY — The Trump administration said Wednesday it was sanctioning Mexican musician Ricardo Hernández, known as 'El Makabelico,' over allegations that the artist was laundering money for a drug cartel. The move comes after the administration has stripped the visas of some of Mexico's most famous musicians, targeting those whose genres often explore themes related to cartels. The U.S. Treasury Department accused Hernández, a musician they refer to as a 'narco-rapper,' of being associated with the Cartel del Noreste, CDN, an evolution of the former Zetas Cartel. According to the department, he laundered money for the criminal group through concerts and events. The CDN is one of several Latin American organized crime groups that the Trump administration has designated as a foreign terrorist organization. The administration alleges that 50% of Hernández's royalties on streaming platforms go directly to the cartel, leading to his sanctioning alongside leaders of the cartel on allegations that he acted for or on behalf of the criminal group. Hernández did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 'CDN depends on these alternative revenue streams and money laundering methods to boost their criminal enterprise, diversifying their income beyond criminal activity like drug trafficking, human smuggling, and extortion,' wrote the Treasury Department in a news release. The sanctions would block the rapper's properties in the U.S. and freeze financial transactions with any businesses owned by those sanctioned, and threaten secondary sanctions against foreign financial institutions that do business with them. Hernández, whose stage name is a play on words relating to cartels, performs his songs wearing a black ski mask and often sings songs related to the criminal groups, making reference to street life, cartel lifestyles and the realities faced in cartel-dominated areas. In recent years, young artists like Peso Pluma have brought Mexican genres into the international spotlight by mixing traditional rhythms with trap and other styles, competing with global stars including Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny on streaming platforms. The genres — primarily 'narco-corridos' — have also become the center of controversy because a number of artists sing about cartels and 'narco culture' associated with them. Some songs romanticize criminals, while others speak to the harsh realities of youth living in cartel-controlled areas, similar to rap music in the U.S. The music has long fueled a debate about the fine line between artistic expression and censorship, as a number of Mexican states have previously banned performances of certain genres. In recent months, the Trump administration has revoked the visas of a slew of different artists related to the genre. In May, the famous northern Mexican band Grupo Firme, which has taken steps to distance themselves from the cartel-centric themes of the genre, announced they would have to cancel an upcoming show in California because their visas were suspended. In April, the administration said it was revoking the visas of the band Los Alegres del Barranco after they flashed the face of a cartel boss behind them at a concert, prompting a controversy and even criminal investigations in Mexico. Press writes for the Associated Press.
New York Post
5 days ago
- New York Post
US sanctions ‘narco-rapper' El Makabelico, who laundered streaming proceeds to bloodthirsty Mexican drug lords
WASHINGTON — The US Treasury sanctioned senior members of a vicious Mexican drug cartel Wednesday for trafficking fentanyl into the US — as well as a notorious rapper thought to be providing up to half of his royalties to the gangsters. The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control announced the crippling penalties for Cartel del Noreste — among the most violent drug runners in Mexico, a dangerous presence on both sides of the border near Laredo, Texas, and a US-designated foreign terror organization. Rapper Ricardo Hernandez Medrano — who goes by the stage names 'El Makabelico' and 'Comando Exclusivo,' was hit with sanctions as an associate of the cartel after having forked over 50% of his streaming cash, believed to be thousands of dollars, to fund trafficking, human smuggling and extortion. Medrano boasts nearly 2.8 million subscribers on YouTube, along with 1.3 million followers on TikTok and one million followers on Instagram. 4 Rapper Ricardo Hernandez Medrano — who goes by the stage names El Makabelico and Comando Exclusivo, was hit with sanctions as an associate of the cartel after having forked over 50% of his streaming cash to their networks. U.S. Department of the Treasury Three other top Cartel del Noreste members — Abdon Federico Rodriguez Garcia, Antonio Romero Sanchez and Francisco Daniel Esqueda Nieto — were also sanctioned. Rodriguez, also known by the street name 'Cucho,' engaged in 'drug trafficking, money laundering, fuel theft, and extortion,' according to the Treasury. Rodriguez is a longstanding member of the group, having been arrested in 2013. Romero, also known as 'Romeo,' is described as a violent fugitive connected to beheadings and executions in addition to the assassination attempt of a government official in the state of Nuevo Laredo. 4 Three other top Cartel del Noreste members — Abdon Federico Rodriguez Garcia, Antonio Romero Sanchez and Francisco Daniel Esqueda Nieto — were also sanctioned. Drug Enforcement Administration 4 The cash fueled the vicious Mexican cartel in carrying out cold-blooded killings. El Makabelico / Facebook Esqueda, known as 'Franky Esqueda,' assumed control of the cartel in that area, assaulting a Mexican army official and leading an attack on a government helicopter earlier this year during the hunt for cartel kingpin Ricardo Gonzalez Sauceda, who was arrested in February. 'Under President Trump, the Treasury Department will continue to be relentless in its effort to put America First by targeting terrorist drug cartels,' said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a statement. 'These cartels poison Americans with fentanyl and conduct human smuggling operations along our southwest border.' 4 'Under President Trump, the Treasury Department will continue to be relentless in its effort to put America First by targeting terrorist drug cartels,' said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a statement. via REUTERS 'Treasury, in close coordination with our law enforcement partners, is committed to a full-frontal assault on the cartels, targeting the leadership and revenue streams that enable their horrific crimes,' he added. The sanctions will block the cartel leaders and associates from any property or interests in the US or under the control of American persons, as well as entities in which they have a majority stake. Bessent has targeted many criminal networks for flooding the US with fentanyl since taking office, often remarking that the issue is 'personal' for him, since he's known families who lost children to overdoses due to the crisis.
