CJNG recruits more Colombians than the Sinaloa Cartel: García Harfuch reveals

CHAR 

JUNE 12, 2025 

GRUPO FORMULA 

VIDEO TRANSLATION 

FEMALE REPORTER: On this issue of security, have you identified the Mexican criminal groups that recruit Colombians specifically to commit crimes? I'd also like to ask how strong this connection is between these criminal cells between Mexico and Colombia, which led to these working groups being held. I also don't know if you can share with us the progress and results. 

OMAR GARCIA HARFUCH: Mainly, the vast majority have been from the Jalisco Cartel. Recruitment has been by the Jalisco Cartel; however, there have also been some from the Sinaloa Cartel. The result of these meetings was precisely due to the arrests of citizens from this country. The meetings allow for a much faster and more agile exchange of information. We have had great collaboration from the Colombian government to avoid bureaucracy and obtain information much more quickly. 

FEMALE REPORTER: Yes, Secretary. Well, taking advantage of the fact that you have the right to speak, a few weeks ago, I asked you if there was a kind of mapping, or if you could present us with a mapping of the prisons where they are recruiting precisely these people who have been detained, uh, for the past few months. Right now, there are more than 20,000. I would like to ask you if these prisons aren't experiencing this overcrowding, which we know occurs in some of them. So, let's also see how this situation has been, with regard to this, well, uh, the detention.

OMAR GARCIA HARFUCH: In this case, the imprisonment of these people is distributed among the 32 states. These detentions, as we mentioned in the report, are not exclusively carried out by the federal government; they are carried out in coordination with the states. Just an example. In Sinaloa, there have been almost 2,000, and a high percentage are also incarcerated there. Guanajuato has had almost 3,000 detainees, etc. So they are incarcerated in the 32 states, in many state prisons, but also in federal prisons. And the most common crimes are carrying a firearm, possession of drugs, and possession of a controlled substance. 

FEMALE REPORTER: Thank you, Secretary. Also, on another note, President, I would like to tell you that a few weeks ago, Carlos Manso, mayor of Uruapan, called on the police to fight head-on, use lethal force against criminals, to protect the citizens. He also stated that he would resign if you and the other security forces could combat and reduce crime in the municipality without firing a single shot. Yesterday, for example, the governor of Chiapas, Eduardo Ramírez, commented again that the law would continue to be firmly enforced. In fact, he also reinforced this with a statement that He made this statement last week after the murder of five police officers from the Ministry of Security who were ambushed, stabbed, and burned. There, he commented that there would be a clear and forceful response, eh, with the unrestricted application of the law. I'll tell you about this unfortunate incident with the police later. I mean, eh, in these two cases, the statements are that they will be, let's say, confronting crime. You have expressed your disagreement, eh, let's say, in this, and I would like to ask you, what then would be the tools that the governors would have to use to confront crime, when, when, these attacks have been lethal, not only for police officers but for the population itself. I mean, even this present municipal government of Uruapan said that how can we not give hugs when criminals are spending their time extorting workers like the eh Avocado producers or murdering children. What would be your position in that regard, President? 

CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM: The security strategy we have. We do not believe in extrajudicial killings. We believe in the rule of law and in compliance with the law and zero impunity. But we do not believe in the war on drugs. Not in that. Now the results. Why can't the results be repeated? They are a reduction of almost 26% of intentional homicides during our tenure in government.

There is a strategy we are implementing that yields results and will continue to yield results because we see it every day.

Attention to the causes, strengthening the security guard, intelligence, investigation, and coordination. Then there are arrests of criminals based on our accusatory criminal justice system. If at any time the armed forces, the National Guard, or a police force are attacked, then in the rational use of force, they respond in self-defense. But the solution is not extrajudicial executions. That, in addition to being immoral, does not yield results. 

FEMELA REPORTER: That immediate reaction should not also be to protect the citizenry. It presents or should not be. 

CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM: Here are the results. Look: 25.8% fewer homicides, 22 fewer homicides per day, and the permanent work of the cabinet, which is among the best our country has. 

FEMALE REPORTER: The perception of the citizenry and some Governors, no, that's not the case, President. 

Here are the results. Look, 86.9 homicides per day average in September 2024. In May 2025, 64.5, so I don't know if there will be 22 fewer homicides per day, and ongoing daily work not only on homicides but on all high-impact crimes in coordination with the states. The strategy will continue to yield results. But this, uh, this idea that by declaring, we must be firm. It's not a matter of strategy and intelligence, but of results and honesty. Would you then leave intelligence? Would you then leave attention to the causes? Zero impunity is yielding results, and honesty. Well, honesty yields results. 

FEMALE REPORTER: Would you then return to this strategy that was implemented last six years, with hugs not bullets. 

CLAUIDA SHEINBAUM: Let's see, comrade, we're talking about the results. I mean, there are four axes. Four axes. Four four four axes of the second floor of the fourth transformation. Attention to the causes. We embraced the youth. Yes, yes, we embraced them throughout the neoliberal period. The youth were not embraced They were called ninis (young people) You neither study nor work They were not given alternative What do we give them Education culture sports employment So yes, we love young Mexicans and we want them to live well and have hope So that's why we address the causes, but that's not the only thing Strengthening the guard The National Guard is a great

institution and it is being strengthened and the states are responsible for strengthening their police forces where we are collaborating and coordinating in everything they need, and the municipalities are also responsible for strengthening their municipal police forces The third intelligence and investigation to be co-adjutants of the Public Ministry Why, so that there are good investigation files arrests of those who commit a crime and coordination between All the institutions that we meet every day for an hour and a half in the morning to follow up. 

So, is it producing results? Yes, it is producing results. We need to produce more results too. We need to produce even more results, and we demand a lot from each other. There is a lot of demand within the cabinet to continue serving the people, and the goal is for all Mexicans to live in peace and safety. That is the goal, and we work every day to ensure that this is the case. Well done, President.

Read More

Montreal Mafia & Hells Angels Figures Arrested as Part of Large Takedown Linked to Cooperating Hitman

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat
Translated from a La Presse Article

Three years, almost to the day, after former organized crime hitman Frédérick Silva turned his back on the Mafia and began cooperating with Canadian authorities, they have been making their first arrests early Thursday morning targeting the leaders of the Sicilian clan of the Montreal Mafia as well as Hells Angels and gang members.

Silva, who will receive a record sum of over $3 million dollars in exchange for his confessions and testimony, as we first revealed last winter, would allow them to solve some 60 murder plots over a period of more than two decades in Quebec organized crime.

"This is one of the hardest blows to organized crime," said Benoit Dubé, Deputy Director General of the Criminal Investigations Department of the Sûreté du Québec, at a press conference Thursday morning announcing the operation dubbed Project Alliance.

Read More

Ciro Gomez Leyva Case: Harfuch confirms that the CJNG ordered the attack. There Is No Proof Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes Ordered The Attack On Mr. Ciro

CHAR 

JUNE 12, 2025

GRUPO FORMULA 

VIDEO TRANSLATION 

We conclude this conversation with Secretary of Security Omar García Harfuch. First, I want to ask you, Secretary, about the issue of comrade Ciro Gómez Leyva. Can it be determined that it was the Jalisco Cartel that requested his execution?

Yes, at the time, when we conducted the investigation by the Mexico City police and the Mexico City Attorney General's Office, everything indicated that the first detainees were... All the evidence that was reported to the victim of the attack at the time indicated that it was a Jalisco Cartel cell, and that was the case. 

It was acknowledged until the end. Now, some have been sentenced by the Attorney General's Office, which later took over the case. Of the arrests that had been made in the city, was the Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes the one who ordered it? 

There is no evidence that it was him directly.

The cell that attacked Ciro did indeed belong to this group, to this criminal group, and not necessarily, as some declared, on the leader's orders. Not necessarily, that. As far as I'm concerned, we stayed in the investigation. 

There was no direct statement or anything that implicated him. He directly mentioned it, but the organization did. Oh, Nemesio Oseguera wasn't mentioned. He was not mentioned directly in the statements we obtained in Mexico City. No, sorry, I'll repeat. Ah, in the prosecutor's office, yes, it was in the prosecutor's office. This one referred directly to Mencho, but what is absolutely confirmed is the Jalisco cartel. Yes, of course. Any idea of ​​the motive? We don't have any knowledge of the motive, but the investigation was very clear, very clear that each of the detainees was directly involved in the attack. Now, the direct involvement of each of the detainees in the attack was established. There's talk that

some of these hitmen were trained somewhere in Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco. Is it known? Were they? What were they found? There were several, uh, a couple of places that the Ministry of National Defense went to check at the time. uh, they didn't find any training centers. Others have been found in Jalisco like the ones we've reported, but specifically that one in Ciudad Guzmán related to that one?

 uh, to conclude, Secretary. Well, first, I have to ask you, there's no way because everyone was worried about your mother. Oh, thank you. That was fake news. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, she realized it. I hadn't realized it. Many hours later, she also realized it and posted a message. I mean, didn't you realize that you were there first? The rumor that she had been kidnapped and such. No, they didn't realize it. I was already in meetings. They had already talked about my job when they showed it to me. No, nothing, they already had the remedy and the rag, I mean, they say this. But mom is fine. Okay, how good. Well, greetings, then, Secretary, to the citizens, we talk a lot about politicians and relations with the United States, the governors, and the prosecutors' offices, and the citizens, how Omar García is directed, how he relates to Harfochos. Well, right now, obviously, contact with the citizens is very different from what we had in Mexico City. As chief of police, you have neighborhood meetings every week with residents of the 16 municipalities, to the point that he is almost head of government. Here in the Ministry of Security, it is very different because it is also a different job and a different dynamic. So here, our best way to connect with the citizens is by delivering results, and that is the president's instruction, and that is what we are working on, the citizens who have almost blind faith in their work. That should also be the case. We truly are a burden to the citizens. One thing we can assure you is that there is a security cabinet that is dedicated to one thing every day: security. With officials, for example, the Secretary of National Defense, General Trevilla, is a man with more than 40 years of experience in the military in security matters. He has been working in this field for many years. Admiral Morales also has more than 40 years of experience. Both have traveled the country, highly experienced people in security, and so that is the security cabinet. Okay, well, Secretary, thank you. I don't want to ask you, but what do you do with the doubts that suddenly arise? Are you doing well in the Ministry of Security? Do you remember with nostalgia Mexico City when you wanted to be a candidate? Do you think you can do it again, or are you already going for it? No, not at all. The Mexico City police force was a job, as we also mentioned here with you, that didn't allow for parallel agendas. That's why we resigned at the time. And here in the Ministry of Security, imagine, 8 months of government, we have a very, very demanding job and an instruction from the president that we cannot fail. And as long as the president decides we are in this position, well, we'll be here because what's interesting about Mexico City is that. I mean, the Secretary of Security wasn't a politician, that's why the pre-candidacy was surprising. He wasn't a politician, but the results came as a surprise. People saw them, and then they said, "Well, Omar García Harfuch is a good candidate. The same thing could happen in '20. In Mexico City, there was more direct contact with the people, and it's a very different dynamic than what we have right now in the federal government. Right now, as Secretary of Security, you have to follow the instructions given by the president or the cabinet and pay attention to the 32 states of the Republic, in absolute coordination, some more than others, with the federal entities. Well, good luck, Secretary. It's not easy. I know. I really appreciate your willingness to take the time. I think it's important that people see it, hear it, and perceive that you're close, that the reports will be addressed, and that the intention is to reduce violence. It's not easy, but in these eight months, there have been very good results, although we still have to wait. Regarding the disappearances, but I suppose it's 8 months, and there's time, right? And we're going to work too. Of course, I'm very grateful. Secretary, take care of yourselves. Thank you. Well, here we're going to take this, the riskiest step because the secretary is leaving. Thank you, Omar García Harfuch.

Read More

I find it unreliable and unbelievable that the order to kill me came from Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes 'El Mencho', says Ciro Gomez Leyva

CHAR 

JUNE 11, 2025 

GRUPO FORMULA 

VIDEO TRANSLATION 

Also yesterday there was an extensive interview with Joaquín, who has been extremely generous with his interviews. I've interviewed Manuel five or six times on his show in these two and a half years, and there's always a very emotional tone in these interviews. He asked me how I felt. I told him, well, with the desire to continue living. And he also asked me what I thought about these people saying that the Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel was the mastermind behind the attack. 

They already have two sentences. These two people had received five other sentences, but they were women. They were only found responsible for having associated, protected, or collaborated in some way with the so-called execution cell. Now we have two sentences for these people, the hitmen, and so, Manuel, I can now begin to speak as a journalist because I do know. I've studied in depth what they said, and I have compared it with the versions of each of them, eh? I produced a work, I think it will be published. eh? Soon, then, it's a topic that has taken me a year and a half to study, and I want to share my first opinion today. I'm doing it in Excelsior, the column that I published there about whether it was the Jalisco cartel. No, what do I think of what they say about it being the Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel that was behind my attack, Manuel? Mm, it's the text. I don't know if you wanted us to read it, and I don't know if you think we'll do it now or a little later. I'll read it. I can put it there on the screen to see it in larger print.

That, Ciro, is precisely called the Jalisco cartel, between interrogations. And I mention the sentences handed down on Tuesday to two of the members of the so-called execution cell that tried to kill me. In December 2022, they allowed me to open the information. Both testified since April 2024 before the Public Prosecutor's Office that whoever hired them, Armando Escarceaga, the boss, even told them that the order to execute me came directly from Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, "El Mencho," historical leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. 

Pedro Gómez Jaramillo declared that he coordinated with the boss to send Bart and two other hitmen to a cartel camp in Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco, so they could perfect their weapons handling. El bart essentially declared the same thing. That's all. I've thoroughly studied their statements. Can I perhaps advance that there won't be much more to the cartel from the other five defendants who have requested a summary trial and will possibly receive a sentence in the coming days. 

The boss's statement, which I also know is a separate matter. The time will come to open the boss's statement and develop it. For now, as a reporter on the matter, and in the absence of compelling facts, I find the version that the order to kill me came from El Mencho, even if it happened since Tuesday. I'm speaking there. Yes, Manuel, strictly as I have been in this case, also a reporter who has the information but, because he is a victim, cannot disseminate it. That's correct, Ciro. But well, there it is. The text remains, the testimony remains, and the approach remains, which will surely be enriched, because after we learn about the boss, for example. Right, let's pause.

Read More

Treviño Morales brothers arrive at US hearing with powerful legal team

CHAR 

JUNE 12, 2025 

MILENIO 

VIDEO TRANSLATION 

In the United States, the second hearing of the Miguel Ángel  and Omar Treviño Morales brothers, the leaders and founders of the ZETAS Cartel, was held today. They showed their muscle and the amount of money they have to pay for their defense. We have already told you about the Dream Team here. Nine lawyers were sitting there defending them. 

This report is from my colleague Ángel Hernández. In the federal court in Washington, the second hearing was held against Miguel Ángel Treviño Morales, alias "El Z40," accused of drug trafficking along with his brother, Omar "El Z42," who did not appear due to scheduling complications. 

Minutes before 11:00 a.m., the chains that bind him could be heard in the courtroom. Treviño arrived accompanied by Alfredo Rangel, alias "El Chicles," former plaza boss of the criminal group in Miguel Alemán, Tamaulipas. "El Z40" was dressed in a white shirt, blue overalls, glasses, and his hair was almost A shaved head, as well as a growing beard, shook hands with his lawyers and then, notebook in hand, listened to the judge, the prosecutor, and his defense attorneys. 

Alfredo Rangel, dressed in orange and also wearing glasses, paid equal attention. The nine people who formed part of the Treviño brothers' legal team stood out in front of the three representatives of the U.S. Attorney's Office, led by Frank Pérez, Eduardo Balareso, lawyers also for Ismael Zambada García, El Mayo, and a former lawyer for Joaquín Guzmán Loera, El Chapo. They completely filled the defendants' table. Prosecutor Kenneth Hendrick presented the status of the evidence in the case: 490,000 intercepted calls, transcripts, summaries of information, and other evidence, a total of 4.9 million files that are part of the investigation in Houston, plus another wealth of evidence that the offices of Dallas and Laredo, in addition to the Mexican government, have not yet filed a complaint. 

The judge determined that the third hearing will be on October 14, once the prosecution decides whether it will seek the death penalty against the defendants. He announced that he is preparing motions to demonstrate a potential conflict of interest for Eduardo Balareso, one of the Z40 lawyers, as he is the legal representative of another co-defendant in the case. This is Gilberto Barragán Valderas, alias the former Gulf Cartel leader who was extradited to the United States in 2020. In response, the lawyer denied that he had a conflict of interest and warned that he should demand an explanation as to how Mexico handed the Treviño brothers over to the United States last February because it was clearly not an extradition. According to Milenio Noticias, Ángel Hernández

Read More

Reward issued for alleged CJNG leader in southern Veracruz

CHAR 

JUNE 10, 2025 

MILENIO NOTICIAS 

VIDEO TRANSLATION 

The Veracruz Attorney General's Office is offering 350,000 pesos for "El Doble ZERO," the alleged leader of the Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel, linked to multiple homicides. Let's go with Flavio César Martínez, who has all the information. Flavio is ahead.

Hello, how are you? Good afternoon. Excellent afternoon to the audience, Emilio. News. As you mentioned, today, the main avenues of Cuatzacualto were covered with huge banners with the wanted list for Abraham Morales Trinidad, alias "El Doble ZERO."

Lists issued by the Veracruz State Attorney General's Office to search for or locate alias "El Doble ZERO." The State Attorney General's Office is offering a reward of 350,000 pesos, as this individual is identified as the alleged leader of the Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel in southern Veracruz, in addition to being the alleged responsible for several homicides. 

Homicides committed from 2014 to the present. It's worth mentioning that the double zero has been arrested on a couple of occasions in the southern part of the state, first in 2014 and then in 2019 for homicide. However, due to certain judges' decisions, this individual was released twice. Well, once again, according to studies and intelligence services conducted by the State Attorney General's Office, it has been found that Abraham continues to commit criminal acts. His headquarters are in Cuatzacualpos, Minatitlán, and the Acayucan region, where he is being pursued for homicide, illegal deprivation of liberty, and extortion, among other crimes, which he has committed mainly against businesspeople and businesses in southern Veracruz. In fact, he has been arrested by both the Navy and personnel from the State Attorney General's Office, and as I mentioned, he was unfortunately released yesterday. Governor Rocío Onale confirmed that this individual is being sought first by the Attorney General's Office. Therefore, in a coordinated effort, the Veracruz State Attorney General's Office is joining this operation. We have already seen at least four huge banners offering a reward of 350,000 pesos. What are the most shocking crimes in which "El Doble ZERO" is allegedly involved? The murder of a municipal police commander in San Juan Evangelista, the murder of a deputy director of operations for the Municipal Water and Sanitation Commission of Cuatzacalcos, and the murder of a businesswoman identified as Susana López, who was decapitated. These are at least some of the crimes in which "El Doble ZERO" is allegedly involved. 

Therefore, the Attorney General's Office has issued this reward card inviting the public to provide information that may lead to his location and arrest. Through a number seen on the banner and an email address, which the agency assures will be anonymous and will be protected, since the integrity of anyone who provides information in this way will obviously be safeguarded. Both the FGR and the Veracruz Attorney General's Office are working in a coordinated manner to target a major source of violence in southern Veracruz. I thank you, as always, Flugio. I send you a big hug, and we remain attentive.

Read More

The attack on Ciro Gómez Leyva was orchestrated by Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes "El Mencho": Attorney General's Office; attackers linked to the CJNG

CHAR 

JUNE 10, 2025

THIS INFORMATION WAS POSTED BY EL UNIVERSAL 

According to the head of the FEADLE, the attackers received training in weapons handling at a Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel camp.

WRITTEN BY: MANUEL ESPINO 

This afternoon, Héctor Martínez Jiménez, "El Bart," and Pool Pedro Gómez Jaramillo, "El Pool," were sentenced to 14 and 12 years in prison, respectively, after pleading guilty to the crimes of criminal association and attempted murder of journalist Ciro Gómez Leyva.

Attack allegedly orchestrated by "El Mencho"

During the hearing, the head of the Special Prosecutor's Office for Crimes against Freedom of Expression (FEADLE) of the Attorney General's Office (FGR), Ricardo Sánchez Pérez del Pozo, read part of Gómez Jaramillo's statement, made in April of this year, in which he revealed that at a meeting at the home of Armando Escárcega Valdez, "El Patrón," identified as the mastermind behind the attack on Ciro Gómez Leyva, the latter told them that the attack "was commissioned by Mr. Mencho," i.e., the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

According to the statement, Escárcega Valdez gave him a photograph of the journalist and ordered him to locate him and identify his movements and routines in order to later orchestrate the attack.

The perpetrators of the Ciro Gómez Leyva attack were trained by the CJNG

He also stated that Héctor Martínez Jiménez, "El Bart," "El Yeyé," and "El Dedos," received weapons training at a Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) camp in Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco, before carrying out the attack.

Similarly, during the second hearing, prosecutor Ricardo Sánchez Pérez del Pozo read part of the statement by Héctor Martínez Jiménez, "El Bart," also issued in April of this year. In this statement, he stated that before being considered for participation in the attack, he and two other suspects were sent to a training camp that lasted approximately 20 days at a building in the municipality of Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco.

He explained that after receiving instructions, he went to the Central del Norte station and bought a ticket to Guadalajara. From there, he traveled to Ciudad Guzmán, where someone came to pick him up and took him to the training center in a white van, along with other men from Guatemala and El Salvador, whom he identified by their speech.

He indicated that once he arrived, he and the other men were greeted by a man dressed in military clothing with a Colombian accent, who called himself "El Primo," who told them, "Be careful because from this moment on, you belong to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel."

After "El Primo" taught them how to assemble and disassemble pistols and other weapons, "El Bart" returned to Mexico City to participate in the attack on journalist Ciro Gómez Leyva, whom he shot nine times with a nine-millimeter weapon.

SOURCE: EL UNIVERSAL 

Read More

Treasury Sanctions “El Chapo’s” Children and Los Chapitos, a Fentanyl-Trafficking Faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. "Ivan’s leadership of Los Chapitos has sparked an alarming spate of violence in Mexico and the United States against civilians, law enforcement, and rival cartel members."

 CHAR

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY 

JUNE 9, 2025 

Press Releases

Treasury Sanctions “El Chapo’s” Children and Los Chapitos, a Fentanyl-Trafficking Faction of the Sinaloa Cartel

June 9, 2025

WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Los Chapitos, a powerful faction of the Mexico-based Sinaloa Cartel that facilitates illicit fentanyl trafficking and production.  Los Chapitos-controlled laboratories are responsible for introducing fentanyl in counterfeit pills manufactured by the Sinaloa Cartel and trafficked to the United States.  Gunmen linked to the Sinaloa Cartel were also involved in the October 18, 2024 killing of former U.S. Marine Nicholas Quets in Sonora, Mexico.

Additionally, OFAC is designating two fugitive leaders of Los Chapitos, Archivaldo Ivan Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, sons of incarcerated Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera.  Through its Narcotics Rewards Program, the U.S. Department of State is offering a reward of up to $10 million each for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Archivaldo Ivan Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar.

“Los Chapitos is a powerful, hyperviolent faction of the Sinaloa Cartel at the forefront of fentanyl trafficking into the United States,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent.  “At the Department of the Treasury, we are executing on President Trump’s mandate to completely eliminate drug cartels and take on violent leaders like ‘El Chapo’s’ children.  Treasury is maximizing all available tools to stop the fentanyl crisis and help save lives.”

OFAC also sanctioned a regional network of Los Chapitos associates and businesses based in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico, that engages in drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, and money laundering.  Today’s action was coordinated with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). 

Today’s action is pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14059, which targets the proliferation of illicit drugs and their means of production, and pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, which targets terrorists and their supporters.  This is OFAC’s ninth action taken against the cartels, international drug trafficking, and human smuggling across the southern border since the beginning of the Administration. 

SINALOA CARTEL

The Sinaloa Cartel is one of the oldest and most powerful cartels in Mexico and represents a major threat to the United States.  The Sinaloa Cartel was identified by the United States as a significant foreign narcotics trafficker on April 15, 2009 pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act).  On December 15, 2021, OFAC also designated the Sinaloa Cartel pursuant to E.O. 14059.  The Sinaloa Cartel has trafficked fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and other illicit drugs into the United States and engaged in widespread violence.  On February 20, 2025, the U.S. Department of State designated the Sinaloa Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). 

FLOOD OF FENTANYL: LOS CHAPITOS 

Collectively referred to as Los Chapitos, the four sons of El Chapo—Archivaldo Ivan Guzman Salazar (Ivan), Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar (Alfredo), Ovidio Guzman Lopez (Ovidio), and Joaquin Guzman Lopez (Joaquin)—have consolidated control over and assumed leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel through their self-named Los Chapitos faction.  Although Ovidio and Joaquin are now in U.S. custody, Ivan and Alfredo remain fugitives in Mexico.  Los Chapitos’ dominance overfentanyl trafficking is largely the result of the faction’s capacity to procure precursor chemicals, while also controlling production via its secret laboratories in Sinaloa.  Since September 2024, turf wars between Los Chapitos and its rivals have engulfed the Mexican state of Sinaloa, resulting in the deaths of over 600 people. 

Los Chapitos is being sanctioned pursuant to E.O. 14059 and pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the Sinaloa Cartel.  

Ivan’s leadership of Los Chapitos has sparked an alarming spate of violence in Mexico and the United States against civilians, law enforcement, and rival cartel members.  Alfredo, serving as lieutenant to his brother Ivan, has participated in the torture of rivals to solicit information about potential infiltration into Los Chapitos-controlled territory.  Ivan and Alfredo were previously designated on May 8, 2012 and June 7, 2012, pursuant to the Kingpin Act and again in 2021 pursuant to E.O. 14059. 

Archivaldo Ivan Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the Sinaloa Cartel.

MURDER AND MONEY IN MAZATLAN

Today’s action also targeted an important cell of Los Chapitos in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico. The Mazatlan cell is led by Victor Manuel Barraza Pablos (Barraza), a Los Chapitos plaza boss who manages the group’s violent and criminal activities in the region, including drug trafficking, murder, kidnapping, extortion, and the production of fentanyl.  Many of Barraza’s nefarious activities are financed by Mexican businessman Jose Raul Nunez Rios (Nunez).  Nunez, a close associate of both Ivan and Barraza, appears to have become wealthy in a short period of time.  Beginning in approximately 2021, Nunez purchased properties and established real estate development, construction, and hospitality companies in Mazatlan and throughout the state of Sinaloa in what appears to be an effort to launder the illicit proceeds from drug trafficking for several high-ranking leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel.  Nunez eventually sided with Los Chapitos and is currently funding Barraza’s war against the group’s rivals in Mazatlan. 

Victor Manuel Barraza Pablos and Jose Raul Nunez Rios are being designated pursuant to E.O. 14059, and pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the Sinaloa Cartel. 

Nunez’s wife, Sheila Paola Urias Vazquez (Urias), is a Mazatlan-based make-up artist who is also involved in her husband’s criminal network as the nominal owner of multiple entities including a spa, salon, real estate, and hospitality businesses.  Nunez has and continues to use Urias as a front person to operate companies on his behalf. 

Sheila Paola Urias Vazquez is being designated pursuant to E.O. 14059, and pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Nunez.

In addition to designating the key individuals in Los Chapitos’ Mazatlan financial network, OFAC is sanctioning ten businesses owned or controlled by Nunez.  Beach Y Marina, S.A. de C.V.; Club Playa Real, S.A. de C.V.; Proyecta Interna, S.A. de C.V.; Eco Campestres Ultra, S.A.P.I. de C.V.; IMB 24 Siete, S.A. de C.V.; MKT 24 Siete, S.A. de C.V.; Mue Renta Y Venta de Vestidos; Carpe Diem Spa; Sea Wa Beach Club, S.A. de C.V.; and Comercializadora Copado, S.A. de C.V. are being designated pursuant to E.O. 14059, and pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Nunez.

SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS

As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of the designated or blocked persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC.  In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked. Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC, or exempt, OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of blocked persons. 

Violations of U.S. sanctions may result in the imposition of civil or criminal penalties on U.S. and foreign persons.  OFAC may impose civil penalties for sanctions violations on a strict liability basis.  OFAC’s Economic Sanctions Enforcement Guidelines provide more information regarding OFAC’s enforcement of U.S. economic sanctions.  In addition, financial institutions and other persons may risk exposure to sanctions for engaging in certain transactions or activities involving designated or otherwise blocked persons.  The prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any designated or blocked person, or the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person. 

Furthermore, engaging in certain transactions involving the persons designated today may risk the imposition of secondary sanctions on participating foreign financial institutions.  OFAC can prohibit or impose strict conditions on opening or maintaining, in the United States, a correspondent account or a payable-through account of a foreign financial institution that knowingly conducts or facilitates any significant transaction on behalf of a person who is designated pursuant to the relevant authority.

The power and integrity of OFAC sanctions derive not only from OFAC’s ability to designate and add persons to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List), but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN List consistent with the law.  The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior.  For information concerning the process for seeking removal from an OFAC list, including the SDN List, or to submit a request, please refer to OFAC’s guidance on Filing a Petition for Removal from an OFAC List.

Click here for more information on the persons designated today.

To view a chart on the individuals and entities designated today, click here.

###

Read More

Cartel Del Noreste Or Northeast Cartel (C.D.N.) Claim Jailed Gulf Cartel Members Are Using 'CDN' Name For Extortion In Tamaulipas. MAY 30, 2025

 CHAR 

JUNE 8, 2025

BY: CHAR 

On May 29, 2025, Cartel Del Noreste or Northeast Cartel (C.D.N) published an official broadcast distancing their organization from extortion in Tamaulipas. The video is about two minutes and thirty seconds long, in which the C.D.N criminal organization claims jailed Gulf Cartel members in Tamaulipas prisons are using the 'CDN' brand for extortion. In recent weeks, Cartel Del Noreste has been active, waging war in Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, now a stronghold of the Gulf Cartel Matamoros faction. Also, in the Ciudad Mier and Miguel Aleman municipalities, armed clashes against the Gulf Cartel Group Metros-CJNG have resumed.

Not to forget, CDN has also started to target law enforcement agencies once again in Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon, who are cooperating with rivals. 

VIDEO TRANSLATION 

BY: SOL PRENDIDO 

This notice goes out to the citizens of Nuevo Laredo. Specifically to the general population. We want to inform the residents of Nuevo Laredo that in recent months, the number of cases related to the crime of telephone extortion has increased, affecting respected citizens who seek to earn an honest living.

It’s important to make it clear that we, the Northeast Cartel, don’t participate in or are linked to acts of extortion, kidnapping, or threats by telephone. We also don’t solicit money from the civilian population by any means. Just as well, we reaffirm our respect for people who work honestly, including business owners, transport operators, taxi drivers, social media marketers, and any other citizen who strives to get ahead.

The recent acts of extortion are being committed by prison inmates located in Ciudad Victoria, Altamira, Reynosa, and Matamoros in Tamaulipas, who operate under the orders of the Gulf Cartel. They’re falsely impersonating CDN members to confuse and frighten the population. To avoid becoming a victim of extortion, we recommend that you stay calm in case you receive a suspicious call. 

Don’t provide personal, family, or banking information. Don’t make deposits or transfers. Hang up immediately and report this matter. Verify any information provided by the extortionists directly with your family. Educate minors and the elderly, who are often the most vulnerable to these scams.

Avoid answering calls from unknown numbers and denounce them. Extortionists commonly identify themselves as officials from the district attorney, the governor’s office, or delivery companies. They request that you provide or forward a code sent via WhatsApp with which they can hack your account.

They may also demand that you change the chip on your phone to cut off your communications. Do not comply with these instructions under any circumstances. We reiterate, the Cartel del Noreste doesn’t carry out extortion, nor does it solicit money or threaten citizens. We urge everyone to remain vigilant, avoid being deceived, and report these incidents to the relevant authorities. Only with information, prevention, and collaboration can we halt the spread of this crime, which affects everyone equally.

Read More

Colombian Presidential Hopeful Miguel Uribe Shot During Spech, His Mother Was a Journalist Kidnapped by the Medellin Cartel

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat

Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, one of the presidential candidates for the Uribe-led Democratic Center party, was seriously injured this Saturday in an attack during a campaign event in Bogotá, Colombia.

He was shot multiple times in the head by a 15-year old gunman who was arrested at the scene and treated for leg injuries. The shooting occurred in the Modelia neighborhood, located in western Bogotá, and the 39-year-old senator was rushed to a clinic.

Uribe's family has a long political history combatting drug cartels since his grandfather was Colombia's President from 1978-1982 during the rise of Pablo Escobar. He himself survived an attack by rebel group M-19 of which current President Gustavo Petro was a member of of the time.

Miguel's mother died after being kidnapped in 1991 by Pablo Escobar's men. As the daughter of a former Colombian president, she was targeted when the Medellin Cartel was going at war with the government over possible US extradition law changes.

Read More

University of Guadalajara reports the disappearance of four students: Jalisco

CHAR 

JUNE 8, 2025 

MILENIO 

VIDEO TRANSLATION 

And look, the general rector of the University of Guadalajara Carla Planter, who confirmed that the four young students from the institution who disappeared within a week remain missing. 

Brian Miguel, Alejandro Axel and José Luis, students at the University of Guadalajara, remain missing. We continue to have the same information. These are four young people who have not been located. Three of the students disappeared in various neighborhoods of Guadalajara between the end of March and the beginning of April of this year within a period of one week. They are Edgar Axel Ríos, 15, last seen in the Olympic neighborhood in Guadalajara. He was studying at the Guadalajara Polytechnic. Jesús Brian Ríos, 17, last seen on April 1 in the San Juan de Dios neighborhood. He was studying at High School 6. Miguel Alejandro Medina del Castillo, 17, disappeared on April 3 in the San Juan de Dios neighborhood. Rafael was a student at Tlaquepaque High School. José Luis Arciniega Nieves, 15, disappeared in January. 

He was a student at the ITPA campus in Puerto Vallarta. Of course, we are concerned. Of course, we are concerned about the security problem throughout the country in the state. Of course, yes, of course, we are concerned. In the case of Axel, his family made public that they had detected that the young man's cell phone was in the state of Zacatecas. However, the University of Guadalajara said they had no information from the Prosecutor's Office as to whether it could be a case of forced recruitment. No, we have no information. The Committee for the Analysis of Disappearances of Persons at the University of Guadalajara published an investigation on May 12 that showed an increase in the disappearance of young people between the ages of 15 and 19, the most likely cause of this increase being forced recruitment by organized crime. With images of Ricardo Valdivia Diana Barajas

Read More

Two young men were "kidnapped" in Guasave; they were children of searching mothers: Sinaloa

 CHAR 

INFORMATION PUBLISHED BY LUZ NOTICIAS 

The Guasave Trackers collective publicized the case on their social media platforms and asked for cooperation and the return of the young people.

WRITTEN BY: Ernesto Torres

06/07/25

Two young residents of the Guasave municipality were deprived of their liberty, and their whereabouts are currently unknown. The Guasave Trackers collective made the double kidnapping public, as both victims of the kidnapping are children of searching mothers, and they are demanding their release.

The searching mothers themselves, through their social media accounts, asked the public for information to help them locate them. They are also asking the authorities and those who have them for help in returning them alive.

It was reported that they were deprived of their liberty last Thursday, June 5, on a street in the El Burrión district of the aforementioned municipality.

The missing persons are Jesús Baltazar Gómez Salomón and Adriel Arturo Buitimea Ornelas. They were last seen Thursday night and have not heard anything about their whereabouts since.

The collective demands the release of both young men and also requests the public's support for any information that may help determine their whereabouts. Please call 687 121 9898.

The disappearance occurred almost 48 hours ago, and it was on the morning of Saturday, June 7, when the Rastreadoras de Guasave collective went to the State Attorney General's Office to file the corresponding complaint with the Public Ministry, requesting their search and location with the support of the State Commission for the Search for Missing Persons.

SOURCE: LUZ NOTICIAS 

Read More

Griselda And Noel Lopez Perez: Altars and Basements, Printed Edition by RIODOCE

 CHAR 

JUNE 7, 2025 

WRITTEN BY: ISMAEL BOJORQUEZ 

NOEL LOPEZ PEREZ

The first time I saw Griselda López Pérez was in the Ríodoce office. We had an apartment at 767 Francisco Villa Street, and she was accompanied by two lawyers, one very young, perhaps an intern. We had published a report involving her brother, Noel, based on events that occurred outside the Ninth Military Zone and confidential SEDENA files that had been found one day under the door.

On September 19, 2006, a body was dumped in front of the entrance to the military zone, and a message was left for the then-garrison commander, Rolando Eugenio Hidalgo Eddy. "FOR BEING A RAT, Eddy." It was some time later that we received "secret" reports from Army intelligence units in this area and discovered that the message left on the body of Jesús Enrique Parra Torres had been altered by the military. To the phrase "FOR BEING A RAT... Eddy," they added "Sincerely, Noel L.P.," referring to Griselda's brother.

The woman's visit to our newsroom was to clarify that her brother had nothing to do with illicit activities. We asked the young man to give us an interview so he could defend himself, and he agreed. The manipulation of the message was incontrovertible, based on the photographs the soldiers themselves had taken and attached to the report of the incident. I then asked Javier Valdez to conduct the interview, which would be the next day in Jesús María. Edgar Guzmán López had already been killed, and an imposing mausoleum was being built next to the cemetery. Javier was received courteously, but in the end, Noel refused to give the interview, so Bato returned with only a couple of bags of empanadas and coricos that were baked in the family's ovens and that had been given to him. They agreed to publish a note in which Griselda clarified things, on the condition that we see it before it was posted online. The young lawyer returned to the office, we printed it, took it to her, and a short time later, he called us and told us it was best not to publish anything. In July 2023, the United States Treasury Department included Noel López Pérez on a list of Chapitos collaborators.

The second visit by Chapo Guzmán's ex-wife to Ríodoce was in October 2012, when Alejandrina Gisselle Guzmán Salazar, the kingpin's daughter by his first wife, was arrested at a San Ysidro prison. Ninety-nine percent of the media outlets that reported the news included a photograph of Griselda's daughter, Grisel Guadalupe, and that worried her. She perhaps thought we had done the same, but that wasn't the case. I had her daughter very well located—there aren't many photos of the other woman—because in those years the drug lords uploaded hundreds of photographs to Metroflog—then to Facebook and Instagram—and among them were photos of Grisel. No, I told her, look at the article, we didn't post photos of her daughter, because, besides, we located her very well, look. And I showed her a folder on my computer with two dozen photographs of her daughter on her trips and parties. And why does she have them? she asked me. Because she or her friends upload them to social media, I said. She calmed down, we talked for a while—Javier was there—and she only allowed me to take photos of her handbag, a Louis Vuitton. When she left, we saw her through the window getting into a small white van with impenetrable windows.

The third time I saw her was at a bass fishing tournament at the El Varejonal dam. It was organized by the municipality of Badiraguato, and the teams were leaving from Jesús María. It was in the afternoon, when the boats were already returning to weigh their catches. I preferred not to be seen; you never know. Late in the afternoon, two municipal police patrols arrived at Griselda's location. Suddenly, the officers formed a crescent moon, and she stood in front of them and spoke to them for several minutes, something I didn't hear. A sort of commander, but not in uniform. He had arrived at the camp in a Land Rover.

Ball and Chain

I returned to Jesús María days after Ovidio was taken away in the midst of that melee that left dead everywhere. I asked about her and was told she wasn't in town. I returned with Roxana in July, maybe August of last year, after Joaquín surrendered to the United States, taking with him that "expensive gift" to the gringos, El Mayo. We went to her house and asked to speak with her for an interview. Someone delivered the message and came back to tell us she wasn't there. And if she was, she didn't want to see us, although this time there weren't even any shouts.

Otherwise

NOW THE LADY WAS AT THE HEAD OF the group of 17 members of her family who crossed the San Ysidro border crossing to take refuge in the US government, as a result of a negotiation between her son Ovidio and the US prosecutors. We'll soon find out if her brother is involved in the chain.

Black Smoke

I REMEMBER THE FEAST OF MANY Morena supporters when Gerardo Vargas joined their party. The same thing happened with the PAN supporters when Malova ran for the PAN against Jesús Vizcarra, and Vargas was his right-hand man. Now the defrocked mayor of Ahome faces accusations that are derailing him from the race for governor, his golden dream. He's too smart and has too much money, his two deadly sins. Hence the relentless and sought-after action by auditors, prosecutors, and judges.

Article published on June 1, 2025, in issue 1166 of the weekly Ríodoce.

SOURCE: RIODOCE 

Read More