Targeting The Money: OFAC Escalates Pressure Against The Chapitos

On May 20, 2026, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued sanctions against individuals and entities tied to two separate money laundering networks linked to the Sinaloa Cartel and its Chapitos faction for drug trafficking and money laundering activities.

The sanctions targeted two criminal networks responsible for the illegal trafficking of fentanyl from Mexico into the United States and for laundering the proceeds through cryptocurrency exchange schemes.

The action resulted from a coordinated investigation led by the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), involving the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and OFAC, pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14059, which targets the proliferation of illicit drugs and their means of production, and E.O. 13224, which targets terrorists and their supporters. The sanctions were also coordinated with the Mexican government’s financial intelligence unit, the Unidad de Inteligencia Financiera (UIF).

 

Targeting Wholesalers and Money Laundering Networks

The first set of sanctions focused on one of the Chapitos’ principal revenue-generating operations: the laundering of proceeds derived from illicit fentanyl sales. The network was allegedly led by Armando de Jesus Ojeda Aviles, who oversaw the collection of bulk cash in the United States and the integration of those funds into the cryptocurrency ecosystem before transferring the money to Mexico through blockchain transactions.

Armando de Jesus Ojeda Aviles reportedly took control of the criminal network after the death of Mario Alberto Jimenez Castro. The organization was responsible for overseeing narcotics shipments and laundering drug proceeds generated in the United States. Ojeda Aviles’s network consisted of Mexico-based drug suppliers and U.S.-based couriers tasked with collecting bulk cash derived from drug trafficking activities.

Also involved in Ojeda Aviles’s network were Jesus Alonso Aispuro Felix and Rodrigo Alarcon Palomares, who coordinated cryptocurrency transfers tied to the laundering of drug proceeds. In October 2023, Alarcon Palomares was detained in Mexico after authorities found him in possession of weapons and ammunition.

Another figure linked to the network is Alfredo Orozco Romero, who allegedly operated as a security advisor and debt collector for unpaid drug shipments. Authorities also identified him as controlling the Mexican company Grupo Especial Mamba Negra, S. de R.L. de C.V., as well as the Chihuahua-based restaurant Gorditas Chiwas, through family members Amalia Margarita Romero Moreno and Liliana Orozco Romero.

The second sanctioned criminal network was allegedly led by Jesus Gonzalez Penuelas, who authorities claim has been involved in large-scale drug trafficking operations since 2007, including the production and distribution of methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl. In 2018, Gonzalez Penuelas was indicted in the United States on international drug trafficking charges. In January 2024, the DEA announced a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction.

Also sanctioned alongside Gonzalez Penuelas were Castulo Bojorquez Chaparro, Fredi Ismael Garcia Sandoval, Luis Arnulfo Moreno Zamora, Baltazar Saenz Aguilar, and Noe de Jesus Castro Rocha. According to U.S. authorities, the group coordinated drug distribution, bulk cash movement, and money laundering operations tied to drug trafficking activities.

 

 “Drowning” The Chapitos

These sanctions are significant because, unlike operations targeting sicarios or plaza bosses — who are often quickly replaceable — authorities are now focusing on the financial structure that allows the Chapitos to operate.

The operation not only targets profits generated from individual drug shipments. It also disrupts the financial operators and distribution networks responsible for moving and integrating illicit proceeds into the formal economy. Coordinating these actions alongside Mexico’s UIF could produce a more immediate financial impact by disrupting key revenue streams essential to the organization’s operations.

Replacing experienced wholesalers, money launderers, and transnational financial operators is considerably more difficult than replacing a local plaza boss or even a synthetic drug precursor brokers. For that reason, these sanctions could represent a more strategic long-term threat to the Chapitos’ operational capabilities.

The sanctions also come amid ongoing rumors that Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar may have been involved in discussions with U.S. authorities regarding a possible surrender agreement. Regardless of whether the surrender rumors are true, the sanctions demonstrate that U.S. and Mexican authorities are increasingly prioritizing the financial and logistical infrastructure sustaining the Chapitos’ drug trafficking operations.

Resources: U.S. Department of the Treasury