Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, Colombia's Clan del Golfo, Sanctioned by US Government Over Fentanyl

The US Treasury announced a new wave of sanctions targeted at criminal organizations responsible for fentanyl production, These sanctions mainly targeted the Sinaloa Cartel of Mexico and the Clan del Golfo of Colombia.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated nine Sinaloa Cartel affiliates and the current Clan del Golfo leader for sanctions. This means that their assets in the US will soon be blocked, with US citizens expected to be prohibited from dealing with them or any of their assets.

"Today's actions reinforce the United States' whole of government approach to saving lives by disrupting illicit drug supply chains," said US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken regarding the new sanctions.

According to the Associated Press, the sanctions were announced last Monday and they include several other people who "assisted with security, the actual movement of fentanyl to the U.S., and the laundering of drug profits back to the cartel in Mexico."

Sinaloa Cartel Sanctions Related to Branch Headed by Extradited Leader Ovidio Guzman Lopez

For the nine Sinaloa Cartel-related sanctions, OFAC revealed that these nine Mexico-based individuals were responsible for drug trafficking on behalf of the infamous cartel which was previously run by Ovidio Guzman's father, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.

In particular, the nine sanctioned individuals are affiliated with the Los Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. The faction is currently run by El Chapo's four sons, including the imprisoned Ovidio Guzman, who was recently extradited to the US, according to Reuters.

Among the sanctioned Sinaloa Cartel affiliates are alleged fentanyl traffickers Liborio Nunez Aguirre, Samuel Leon Alvarado, and Carlos Mario Limon Vazquez. They are accused of "operating a network of laboratories that synthesize precursor chemicals into fentanyl for distribution in the United States."

The sanctions for these nine Sinaloa Cartel affiliates came just a few weeks after the government of Mexico extradited Guzman Lopez to the US. The El Chapo son and his brothers have been identified by the United States government as the gods will leading producers and traffickers of synthetic fentanyl into the US.

Previously, the US government has sanctioned all four members of Los Chapitos. This happened before Ovidio was arrested in Mexico. His arrest sparked a massive gun battle in the Sinaloa Cartel's namesake state of Sinaloa, leading to massive property damage and dozens of people getting killed.

Colombia's Clan del Golfo Has Ties With the Sinaloa Cartel

As for why the US government also targeted Clan del Golfo, the Treasury Department's official website explained that the Colombian cartel has close ties with the Sinaloa Cartel. Its leader, Jobanis de Jesus Avila Villadiego, also known as "Chiquito Malo," was the one who was sanctioned.

Avila Villadiego has repeatedly sparked violence in Colombia and has been indicted in two US courts. He is also responsible for "the international proliferation of illicit drugs or their means of production." Under him, the Clan del Golfo has worked with the Sinaloa Cartel in helping produce cocaine, meth, and other illicit drugs.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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