U.S. Treasury Sanctions CJNG Leaders Under Counterterrorism and Narcotics Authorities
The U.S. Treasury and State Department have sanctioned five leaders of Mexico’s CJNG cartel, including “El Mencho,” for drug trafficking and terrorism. The move targets fentanyl operations and offers rewards up to $15M for their arrest.
By Kamaran Aziz
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, the imposition of sweeping sanctions on five Mexico-based leaders of the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), under authorities related to both narcotics trafficking and counterterrorism. The move targets one of the most violent and powerful criminal organizations operating in Mexico and responsible for a large share of fentanyl and other illicit drugs trafficked into the United States.
According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the sanctions were issued pursuant to Executive Orders 14059 and 13224, as amended. The sanctioned individuals include CJNG’s notorious leader Ruben Oseguera Cervantes (alias “El Mencho”), and four other senior operatives directly implicated in trafficking operations, corruption, and acts of extreme violence.
“These individuals and their organization have spread destruction in Mexico and across our border,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. “We will use all tools available to degrade the capabilities of CJNG and cut off its networks.”
Among the individuals sanctioned is Audias Flores Silva, a regional commander overseeing methamphetamine production in several Mexican states, and Ricardo Ruiz Velasco, a CJNG lieutenant identified as a prime suspect in the recent femicide of Mexican influencer Valeria Marquez during a livestream. OFAC stated that CJNG continues to use murder, kidnapping, and torture to maintain its power.
In addition to drug trafficking, the cartel is involved in criminal activities such as fuel theft, corruption, migrant smuggling, and oil smuggling. The cartel controls Mexico’s Manzanillo port, facilitating the import of fentanyl precursors.
The sanctions also result in the blocking of any property or interests in property in the U.S. belonging to the named individuals. U.S. persons are prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.
The U.S. Department of State, in a separate press release issued by spokesperson Tammy Bruce, reinforced the Treasury’s actions by designating the same CJNG leaders as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs). The State Department reiterated the criminal and terrorist nature of CJNG, highlighting the organization’s responsibility for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and other drugs.
“The United States is committed to disrupting the illicit manufacture and trafficking of fentanyl, a leading cause of death among people aged 18 to 49 in the United States,” Bruce stated.
The Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs is offering up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Ruben Oseguera Cervantes and up to $5 million for Audias Flores Silva.
The designations are part of broader efforts to disrupt CJNG’s operations, degrade its logistical and financial infrastructure, and bring its leadership to justice.
