The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Wednesday sanctioned five leaders of the Mexico-based Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), a violent criminal group responsible for much of the fentanyl and illicit drugs entering the U.S.
Among those sanctioned is cartel leader Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” and three senior members including Gonzalo Mendoza Gaytan, linked to a recruitment camp where defiant recruits were executed. Also sanctioned is Ricardo Ruiz Velasco, implicated in the femicide of Mexican influencer Valeria Marquez during a live broadcast.
CJNG uses brutal tactics, including targeted killings of women to intimidate rivals, and operates clandestine labs producing fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine. The cartel controls the port of Manzanillo, a hub for drug trafficking and precursor chemical procurement.
The cartel also engages in fuel theft, migrant smuggling, and corruption, generating billions through drug trafficking. The U.S. State Department offers rewards up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of key leaders, including Oseguera.
