US Sanctions Dozens of Suspects From Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel

The US Treasury Department sanctioned 46 suspected gang leaders and facilitators tied to Mexico’s powerful Sinaloa Cartel, including the son of the jailed drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.

The targets include individuals and businesses, including two energy companies. The sanctions take aim at Ismael Zambada Sicairos, the son of “El Mayo,” the veteran capo who was turned over to US custody a couple years ago by a rival cartel leader. The high-profile arrest has led to a bloody intra-cartel war that has claimed hundreds of lives in Mexico’s northwestern Sinaloa state.

Those sanctioned cover members of Zambada Sicairos’s inner circle, including alleged money launderers and politicians who helped with the cartel’s operations, according to a statement from Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) released on Tuesday.

The announcement marks the latest push from the Trump administration to squeeze cartel finances while also pressuring Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to take stronger action against them.

“Today’s action underscores that no cartel kingpin, corrupt Mexican government official, or financial facilitator is beyond the reach of Treasury’s authorities,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in the statement. “Our message is clear: the Trump Administration will identify and disrupt any cartel actor who threatens our security or the integrity of our financial system.”

Also on Tuesday, Mexico’s Finance Ministry announced in its own statement that it has blocked the 46 targets from financial transactions as a preventive measure.

Earlier this year, the elder Zambada — who founded the Sinaloa Cartel along with Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán — was sentenced to life in prison. He was convicted of ordering scores of murders while smuggling massive amounts of cocaine, fentanyl and heroin into the US.

Zambada Sicairos filled the leadership void left by his father’s arrest and is now the undisputed head of “Los Mayos,” according to OFAC. He’s accused by the US of directing the group’s violent criminal activities, including its drug trafficking and extortion rackets. He remains a fugitive in Mexico.

Government officials and relatives of top politicians in Baja California state, which borders the US, also stand accused by OFAC of enabling cartel operations. They include Carlos Alberto Torres, the ex-husband of Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila, and his brother Luis Alfonso Torres, both suspected to be cartel facilitators.

Rafael Buenrostro, who served as a legislative advisor to the Baja California government and as a customs official in northern Chihuahua state, was also sanctioned for providing political favors to the Sinaloa Cartel.

Since last year, OFAC has taken similar actions against more than 400 individuals and entities it accuses of taking part in criminal groups.