The war for control of different plazas continues as La Mayiza-Los Cabrera fights La Chapiza-CJNG in southern Sinaloa. Despite the Mexican federal government's denial that CJNG is supporting La Chapiza in Sinaloa with weapons and hitmen, the support of the CJNG Cartel is all but too evident now.
In the following video, La Mayiza-Los Cabrera dismembered a rival cartel member and tied his body parts to a drone so his body parts could be delivered into enemy territory.
MAZATLÁN, CONCORDIA, ESCUINAPA, VILLA UNIÓN, TO NAME A FEW, ARE ALL TARGETS OF LA MAYIZA-LOS CABRERA ALLIANCE
WARNING GRAPHIC VIDEO
TRANSLATION BY:
SOL PRENDIDO
Sicario #1: Here it goes, you son of a bitch, so that you’re made aware. With this drone, I’m going to deliver to you all of the heads and hands of your operatives into Iguanas. All of your gunmen are going to be sent to you like this.
Don’t fuck with honest civilians, you asshole. You eliminated those innocent civilians out in Villa Unión. But if you want to mess with someone, well, here is your Minimi, you bitch.
Take a good look at who I am. We don’t mess with the townspeople. Therefore, we’re fucking coming after you guys. Please don’t bother to grab innocent people. Come and fight us instead. We’re actual locals from this area.
We are one hundred percent natives of Sinaloa. Whereas you guys are just out-of-towners fighting against the Jalisco cartel. Just so you know what to expect, I’m sending you this head. Follow me this way. Where’s that head at?
Sicario #2: I’ve got that head right fucking here.
Sicario #1: There goes that fucking head on its way to be delivered.
*The following video is believed to be from Concordia, Sinaloa, areas published on January 30, 2026, where La Mayiza-Los Cabrera claim responsibility.
THIS ARTICLE WAS POSTED BY INFORMADOR MX AND WRITTEN BY: RUBI BOBADILLA
The arrests took place inside a house located in the Las Cañadas neighborhood of the municipality of Zapopan.
Coordinated actions by federal forces in the municipality of Zapopan, Jalisco, led to the arrest of a man identified as one of the main perpetrators of violence in the Guadalajara metropolitan area, allegedly working for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, as well as two other men found in possession of firearms and suspected drugs.
THIS INFORMATION WAS POSTED BY EL OCCIDENTAL AND WRITTEN BY: RAMON ORTEGA
They are being accused of conducting fraudulent raffles and granting "loan shark" loans.
State police officers and federal authorities arrested three individuals from South America involved in fraudulent raffles and "loan sharking" schemes in the municipalities of Zapopan and Guadalajara.
The first incident occurred at the intersection of Oss and Amsterdam streets in the Valle de los Molinos neighborhood of Zapopan.
Officers observed two men who matched the descriptions provided in citizen reports that accused them of allegedly collecting money through fraudulent means.
Upon verifying their identities, they discovered that both individuals presented credentials identifying them as Colombian citizens. However, because they could not prove their legal residency in the country, they were referred to personnel from the National Institute of Migration.
The second incident occurred at the intersection of Mandarina Avenue and 9th Street, in the wholesale market in Guadalajara, where police officers encountered a Venezuelan national who could not prove his legal status in Mexico.
Dainer “N,” 21 years old, was unable to prove his legal status in Mexico. Photo: / Courtesy / Secretariat of Security
Due to the above, Arturo “N,” 31 years old, and Andrés “N,” 38, both of Colombian origin, as well as Dainer “N,” 21, from Venezuela, were referred to the immigration authorities to continue with the corresponding procedures.
THIS INFORMATION WAS POSTED BY EL OCCIDENTAL AND WRITTEN BY: ELIZABETH IBAL
Elements of the Mexican Army made the discovery in that Magical Town.
Elements of the Mexican Army seized nearly twenty marijuana plantations containing more than 116,000 marijuana plants in the municipality of Mascota, in the Sierra Occidental region.
Regarding the seizure, the Attorney General's Office (FGR) reported that, through the Specialized Regional Control Prosecutor's Office (FECOR) and the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office in the state, it was informed of the destruction of 17 plantations.
The statement indicated that Mexican Army personnel, while conducting ground patrols during Operation Perla, located the marijuana plantations in the mountainous area of that Magical Town.
The troops destroyed approximately 116,900 marijuana plants by uprooting and burning them, and seized 470 kilograms of the drug.
The Ministry of Defense reported no arrests in this operation. Representative samples were collected and turned over to the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office, which is continuing the investigation.
THIS INFORMATION WAS POSTED BY EL OCCIDENTAL AND WRITTEN BY: ROMAN ORTEGA
The arrest took place at 9:40 a.m. this Thursday.
For the third time, elements of the Federal Forces have arrested Armando G., also known as Delta 1, identified as the leader of the elite hit squad known as the Deltas, of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
According to the National Registry of Detentions, the arrest took place at 9:40 a.m. this Thursday. At the time of his arrest, Armando, who is 1.70 meters tall, was wearing braces, black sneakers, black shorts, a pink t-shirt, and a black sweatshirt with bright orange accents.
Although the National Registry of Detentions does not mention the location where Armando G. was apprehended, sources close to the investigation indicate that the operation to capture him took place in the municipality of Zapopan.
First Arrest
Armando G, also known as Máximo, was first arrested on June 21, 2020, on the streets of the Jardines del Country neighborhood in the municipality of Guadalajara. The reasons why Gómez Núñez was released after his 2020 capture remain unknown.
Second Capture
Last Monday, October 28, 2024, National Guard officers arrested Delta 1 for the second time at 5:03 PM on Patria Avenue, between Lago Superior and La Presa avenues, in the Lagos del Country neighborhood, the same neighborhood where he was captured in 2020.
At the time of the arrest, the National Guard seized a vehicle, a rifle loaded with 10 rounds, plastic bags containing 1.053 kilograms of methamphetamine, and three magazines with a total of 49 live rounds.
The Attorney General's Office reported that Armando G was indicted for drug offenses, specifically simple possession of methamphetamine hydrochloride, as well as possession of a firearm, magazines, and ammunition for the exclusive use of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. In addition to the indictment, the District Judge based in Almoloya de Juárez, State of Mexico, ordered justified pretrial detention at Federal Social Rehabilitation Center No. 1 in Altiplano and granted four months for the complementary investigation.
However, last May, Armando G, identified as the third-in-command of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was granted house arrest by a federal judge.
Delta 1 Controlled Illicit Activities in Puente Grande
According to federal investigations, Delta 1's area of influence is in the Guadalajara metropolitan area. He was also responsible for the attack committed on May 21, 2018, in the Chapultepec area, against Luis Carlos Nájera, the former State Attorney General during the previous administration headed by former Governor Jorge Aristóteles Sandoval Díaz.
The operation was the result of military surveillance in the community of Cieneguilla and was carried out after obtaining a court order.
Agents from the Attorney General's Office raided a drug ranch in the municipality of Arandas, where they seized weapons, animals, and tactical equipment.
The Attorney General's Office reported that the military personnel detected the ranch while conducting a patrol in the vicinity of the community of Cieneguilla. From the outside, they observed various weapons and tactical equipment, so they notified the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office, which in turn requested a search warrant from a district judge.
Once the warrant was obtained, an operation was launched in conjunction with the military to carry out the search.
At the scene, authorities seized 24 magazines of various calibers, more than 350 cartridges of different calibers, 15 vehicles, 10 horses, various birds, a reptile, 14 tactical vests, 21 accessories, various articles of clothing, and documents.
The property and the seized items were placed at the disposal of the Public Prosecutor's Office, which will continue with the corresponding investigation into violations of the Federal Law on Firearms and Explosives and any other related offenses.
The official was on his way to start his workday when he was attacked.
Elizabeth Ibal
The Undersecretary of Operations of the Colima State Public Security Secretariat was attacked and shot at in the municipality of Colima while on his way to work.
The State Coordination Table for the Construction of Peace and Security in that state confirmed the shooting attack this Tuesday morning, which occurred north of Colima as he was traveling in a pickup truck to the Security Secretariat's facilities to begin his workday.
Following the attack, agents from the State Attorney General's Office arrived to collect evidence and information at the scene.
Following the direct attack, state authorities who are part of the Security Task Force condemned the incident.
“Those of us who lead and comprise the corporations and institutions represented on the State Coordination Board condemn the attack and express our condolences to the affected official and his family during these difficult times.”
They also stated that they are already collaborating in a coordinated manner with the State Attorney General's Office in the corresponding investigation to identify and bring those responsible to justice.
It was also announced that the official is in stable condition.
A video showing the moment of the attack was circulated on social media. It shows a white van approaching and the shots being fired.
The Attorney General's Office of Aguascalientes has already identified the trailer used and is coordinating the investigation with neighboring states to locate those responsible.
The Attorney General's Office of the State of Aguascalientes confirmed the theft of 65 fattening bulls from the Granja Jiménez ranch, located in the community of Las Carboneras, in the municipality of Tepezalá. The incident occurred on the night of Tuesday, November 25.
The value of each animal is estimated at 45,000 pesos, bringing the total value of the stolen livestock to 2,925,000 pesos.
The modus operandi presumably involved four men who arrived at the ranch in a trailer without license plates.
One of the men threatened the security guard with a firearm while the others loaded the bulls into the vehicle, which they then closed and drove away in. The vehicle traveled through Aguascalientes on state and federal highways, presumably headed for the state of Jalisco.
According to preliminary data, the stolen cattle were not branded, which will make locating them more difficult. The investigation is being conducted by the State Attorney General's Office, with support from C5i surveillance cameras and authorities in neighboring states.
According to local media, the investigative teams have records and expert analyses that could allow for the identification of at least one suspect.
Prosecutor Manuel Alonso García confirmed that the trailer used in the robbery has already been identified and that authorities are working with neighboring states to locate it.
For his part, the Secretary of Public Security, Antonio Martínez Romo, reported that the authorities were notified six hours after the incident and indicated that security protocols will be reviewed, in addition to reinforcing the requirement for transportation permits for livestock.
Americans, Venezuelans, Guatemalans, and French nationals, as well as people from other states, have been arrested during clashes and operations in Culiacán and Navolato.
Foreigners from the United States, France, Venezuela, and Guatemala have arrived in the state, where they have been arrested as part of the two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, which have been engaged in a war for control of the territory since last September.
People from Jalisco, Durango, Michoacán, Sonora, and Baja California have also joined the dispute between the Mayos and Chapos factions, participating in clashes or being captured in coordinated operations in both urban and rural areas of Culiacán and Navolato.
On November 19, 14 men were apprehended at a hotel in Navolato, including two Guatemalans and one Venezuelan. Authorities seized 13 long guns, a machine gun, 15 magazines, and more than 420 rounds of ammunition of different calibers.
In Navolato, the Sinaloa Cartel cells have intensified clashes, murders, and attacks with explosives against businesses, and one explosion even occurred at a party, leading to constant school closures, especially in the Villa Juárez district.
In an operation carried out last Friday morning in the Portalegre sector north of Culiacán, elements of the Special Operations Group (GOES) of the State Preventive Police and the National Guard captured 10 alleged hitmen, among whom, according to unofficial reports, were individuals from Jalisco, Mexicali, and Michoacán.
The detainees were found outside a residence next to a black vehicle, and were carrying nine long guns, a machine gun, a pistol, 1,225 rounds of ammunition, and 33 magazines, in addition to tactical equipment, eight ballistic vests, seven tactical helmets, and seven buckets of tire spikes. On Saturday, November 15, cells of the Sinaloa Cartel clashed in the town of El Guasimal, located in the municipality of Imala, Culiacán. A ground and air operation was launched in the area, resulting in the arrest of nine men, one of whom was identified as Ogelian Fabio “N,” a French national.
Two vehicles were found in the area with their doors open, each containing the bodies of two men who had been shot to death. Another body was found on a dirt road. Authorities seized two machine guns, 21 rifles, more than 3,350 rounds of ammunition of various calibers, 15 bulletproof vests, and three vehicles, two of which had makeshift armor plating.
On November 5, in Culiacán, Daniel Silvestre Manjarrez, also known as "El Dany," a U.S. citizen, was arrested at a residence in the Infonavit Humaya neighborhood. He was wanted by the U.S. for his involvement in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and had an Interpol Red Notice issued against him by the FBI.
GABRIEL SETH RODGERS. Captured in Culiacán.
“Security agents identified the property where one of the most wanted targets by U.S. authorities was hiding, and during reconnaissance patrols, they detected the subject's presence. They ordered him to stop, confirmed his identity, and he was arrested,” said Omar García Harfuch, Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection.
On October 23, 2025, Erick L., a U.S. citizen, was shot and killed at midday inside a house located on Jorge Romero Zazueta and Luis M. Rojas streets, in the Adolfo López Mateos neighborhood in Culiacán.
Five days earlier, federal forces freed a U.S. citizen who had been kidnapped from a home in the Espacios Barcelona subdivision in this city, and arrested three of his captors, including a woman.
In Culiacán, another U.S. citizen, identified as Gabriel Seth Rodgers, 26 years old, originally from Sundance, was arrested on March 27. The young man had fled to Mexico while on parole in the state of Wyoming, where he was sentenced in 2019 to 44 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release for stealing more than 30 weapons from a pawn shop a year earlier, which he sold in Colorado.
At that time, the 19-year-old was charged with possession of stolen firearms and conspiracy to distribute LSD and marijuana.
The U.S. Department of Justice reported that Rodgers violated his parole and traveled to Culiacán, Sinaloa, where he trafficked fentanyl and methamphetamine under the protection of the Sinaloa Cartel. On November 3, a judge in Cheyenne sentenced the young man to 30 years in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release.
Another U.S. citizen, identified as Matthew Kenneth Rewald, 30 years old, was arrested in Mazatlán on July 8 of this year. He had irregular immigration status and was linked to drug trafficking and arms smuggling for the Sinaloa Cartel, as well as pedophilia.
Dutch media reported that between September and October of last year, Marco Ebben, of Dutch origin, and who was linked to Ismael Zambada García, was in Culiacán, but this information was not confirmed. The drug lord was murdered on February 13 in the municipality of Atizapán, in the State of Mexico.
Ebben was wanted by Europol for drug trafficking.
Governor Rubén Rocha was questioned about the arrests of foreigners in Sinaloa and said that it is a matter of concern to him.
“Yes, of course it's worrying, how could it not be? These are events that attract attention,” he said.
Article published on November 23, 2025, in issue 1191 of the weekly newspaper Ríodoce.
They seized 15 high-end vehicles, 24 magazines, 351 cartridges, 36 vests, tactical equipment, and animals.
WRITTEN BY: ELIZABETH IBAL
Agents from the Attorney General's Office in Jalisco carried out a search warrant issued by a judge in the municipality of Arandas.
The Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection reported that the operation took place at a ranch near the community of Cieneguilla.
There, during the search of the property, agents seized 15 high-end vehicles, 24 magazines, 351 rounds of ammunition, 36 vests, tactical gear, 10 horses, exotic birds, and a crocodile.
During the operation, personnel from the Mexican Army and the National Guard took charge of security in the surrounding area.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident in the municipality of Degollado, members of the National Defense Secretariat and Pemex personnel located and disabled four illegal taps into pipelines.
They also recovered 34,500 liters of gasoline, secured a storage facility, 13 containers, and 2,750 meters of high-pressure hose.
The bodies of five decapitated individuals were found on the morning of Tuesday, October 7, 2025, on the highway leading to the town of Santa María de Picachos, in the municipality of Huajicori, in the northern part of the state of Nayarit.
On the evening of October 7, 2025, the Nayarit State Attorney General's Office (FGE) confirmed the events and stated that municipal authorities had discovered the bodies.
The state law enforcement agency reported that, at that time, the victims had not been identified and did not provide further information about what happened. However, local media reported that the bodies were those of five men and were found inside a vehicle.
As recalled by the newspaper El Universal, since 2024, a dispute between the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (CJNG) and “Los Mayos” - a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, linked to the Sinaloa kingpin Ismael Mario Zambada García, alias “El Mayo”, 76 years old, who is imprisoned in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York (MCC New York), and led by Ismael Zambada Sicairos, alias “El Mayito Flaco” - had caused the displacement of residents from several communities in this municipality, which borders Sinaloa.
For his part, Nayarit Governor Miguel Ángel Navarro Quintero, also quoted by El Universal, stated that security on the borders with other states, such as Sinaloa, Durango, Jalisco, and Zacatecas, was complicated. He revealed that he had summoned all municipal presidents and public security directors on Thursday, October 9, 2025, to speak with them regarding the alleged "floor charges" that were occurring at some fairs organized by city councils, which resulted in the strengthening of criminal groups taking root in the state.
"Sometimes fairs are a risk when people gather there whose purposes we don't know, and the worst thing is that they develop a sense of belonging to a criminal group. I cannot allow that. The state's citizens belong to the state, and I cannot allow Nayarit to be a battlefield for criminal groups, under any circumstances," the state governor stated.
The Government of Colima assured that operations are already underway to find the perpetrators.
Elizabeth Ibal
A violent incident shocked residents of the municipality of Colima, as armed individuals broke into a bakery and killed six people, while wounding another. State authorities are conducting operations to find the killers.
The incident occurred before dawn inside the El Pichón bread-making business, located on Francisco Javier Mina, in the Placetas neighborhood of Colima.
A group of armed individuals arrived at the scene, attacked seven people inside, and then left. After hearing gunshots, neighbors notified authorities through emergency numbers.
State Preventive Police officers responded to the establishment as first responders and found the seven people with gunshot wounds. Paramedics later confirmed that five men and one woman had died.
One woman was injured and was immediately taken to a nearby hospital.
In response to the multiple homicides, the Colima government and the State Attorney General's Office issued a statement confirming the death toll from the attack.
"This Tuesday morning, armed individuals entered a commercial establishment in the aforementioned location in the municipality of Colima and fired firearms, leaving six people dead and one injured, who was taken for medical attention."
They also indicated that the State Coordination Board for the Construction of Peace and Security in Colima is working in a coordinated manner to locate those responsible for the armed attack.
In addition, members of the Public Security Secretariat (SSP), the armed forces, and the Colima Coordination, Control, Command, Communication, Computing, and Intelligence Center (C5i) are supporting the investigation by following up on the investigation.
In this regard, the El Pichón bakery, which has been in operation since 1990, issued a statement regretting the events and announcing that they would not be able to deliver orders as they normally do to homes and businesses.
"We have been victims of insecurity in our family business. There are no words to express this event. We thank our clients and friends for their concern and displays of affection, and we ask for their humanity and empathy in the face of this terrible situation."
So far, no arrests have been made for this multiple homicide.
Treasury Targets Terrorism and Timeshare Fraud in Mexico
Scams Targeting U.S. Victims Produce Significant Revenue for CJNG
WASHINGTON—Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned four Mexican individuals and 13 Mexican companies linked to timeshare fraud led by the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG). These individuals and companies are based in or near Puerto Vallarta, a popular tourist destination that also serves as a strategic stronghold for CJNG. A brutally violent cartel, CJNG is a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) that is increasingly supplementing its drug trafficking proceeds with alternative revenue streams such as timeshare fraud and fuel theft.
“We are coming for terrorist drug cartels like Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion that are flooding our country with fentanyl,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “These cartels continue to create new ways to generate revenue to fuel their terrorist operations. At President Trump’s direction, we will continue our effort to completely eradicate the cartels’ ability to generate revenue, including their efforts to prey on elderly Americans through timeshare fraud.”
Treasury has taken a series of actions targeting the diverse revenue streams benefitting the cartels, including fuel theft, human smuggling, extortion, and fraud. As Treasury and its partners seek to disrupt the cartels’ revenue streams, it is important to remind current owners of timeshares in Mexico: If an unsolicited purchase or rental offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. Those considering the purchase of a timeshare in Mexico should conduct appropriate due diligence.
Today’s action was taken 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. Today’s action was also taken in coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Government of Mexico’s financial intelligence unit, the Unidad de Inteligencia Financiera (UIF).
CJNG: VIOLENCE IN PURSUIT OF PROFIT
CJNG is considered one of the most powerful cartels in the world. It has conducted intimidating acts of violence, including attacks on the Mexican military and police with military-grade weaponry, the use of drones to drop explosives on Mexican law enforcement, and assassinations and attempted assassinations of Mexican officials. CJNG has also executed its own recruits who defy orders. All of this is perpetrated in furtherance of CJNG’s relentless pursuit of illicit proceeds. In addition to drug trafficking, the group’s core source of revenue, CJNG is also generating alternative revenue streams through fuel theft, extortion, and timeshare fraud, among other activities.
On April 8, 2015, OFAC designated CJNG pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act) for playing a significant role in international narcotics trafficking. On December 15, 2021, OFAC also designated CJNG pursuant to E.O. 14059. On February 20, 2025, the U.S. Department of State designated CJNG as an FTO and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).
PARADISE LOST: TIMESHARE FRAUD IN MEXICO
Mexico-based cartels have been targeting U.S. owners of timeshares through call centers in Mexico staffed by telemarketers fluent in English. Beginning in about 2012, CJNG took control of timeshare fraud schemes in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, and the surrounding area. These complex scams often target older Americans who can lose their life savings. The lifecycle of these scams can last years, resulting in financial and emotional devastation of the victims while enriching cartels like CJNG.
The cartels generally obtain information about U.S. owners of timeshares in Mexico from complicit insiders at timeshare resorts. After obtaining information on timeshare owners, the cartels, through their call centers, contact victims by phone or email and claim to be U.S.-based third-party timeshare brokers, attorneys, or sales representatives in the timeshare, travel, real estate, or financial services industries. The fraud may include timeshare exit scams (a.k.a. timeshare resale scams), timeshare re-rent scams, and timeshare investment scams. The common theme is that victims are asked to pay advance “fees” and “taxes” before receiving money supposedly owed to them. This money never comes, and the victims are continuously told to pay additional “fees” and “taxes” to finalize the transactions. Victims are typically told to send these “fees” and “taxes” via international wire transfers to accounts held at Mexican banks and brokerage houses. After these initial scams, re-victimization scams can occur. The scammers may impersonate law firms, claiming that they can initiate proceedings on behalf of the victims to recover lost funds for an upfront fee. In other instances, scammers impersonate government officials, including OFAC, claiming that victims have engaged in suspicious transactions and demanding “fines” to release their funds or face the risk of imprisonment.
On July 16, 2024, Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), OFAC, and the FBI issued a joint Notice on timeshare fraud associated with Mexico-based transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), including in Spanish, to provide financial institutions with an overview of these schemes, associated financial typologies, and red flag indicators. In the six-month period following this Notice, FinCEN received over 250 Suspicious Activity Reports, and filers reported approximately 1,300 transactions totaling $23.1 million, sent primarily from U.S.-based individuals to counterparties in Mexico. Based on FinCEN’s analysis, U.S. fraud victims sent an average of $28,912 and a median amount of $10,000 per transaction to the suspected scammers potentially working for Mexico-based TCOs.
According to the FBI, approximately 6,000 U.S. victims reported losing nearly $300 million between 2019 and 2023 to timeshare fraud schemes in Mexico. In 2024 alone, FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received nearly 900 complaints concerning timeshare fraud schemes in Mexico with reported losses of over $50 million. However, these figures likely underestimate total losses, as the FBI believes the vast majority of victims do not report the scam due to embarrassment, among other reasons. On its website, the FBI has included a timeshare fraud resource page, and FBI’s New York Field Office has posted a public service announcement video featuring a victim of timeshare fraud. Victims of timeshare fraud are encouraged to file a complaint with the FBI’s IC3 by visiting https://www.ic3.gov. For elder victims, financial institutions may also refer their customers to the Department of Justice’s National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833-FRAUD-11 (or 833-372-8311).
TARGETING TIMESHARE FRAUD
Montero
Today’s action marks the fifth time OFAC has sanctioned those linked, directly or indirectly, to CJNG’s timeshare fraud activities, resulting in the designation of over 70 individuals and entities to date. The previous actions occurred on March 2, 2023, April 27, 2023, November 30, 2023, and July 16, 2024.
Rivera
The three senior CJNG members most involved in timeshare fraud are Julio Cesar Montero Pinzon (Montero), Carlos Andres Rivera Varela (Rivera), and Francisco Javier Gudino Haro (Gudino). These three individuals have also been part of a CJNG enforcement group based in Puerto Vallarta that orchestrates assassinations of rivals and politicians using high-powered weaponry.
Gudino
On June 2, 2022, OFAC designated Montero pursuant to E.O. 14059. Today, Montero is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for being directed by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, CJNG.
On April 6, 2021, OFAC designated Rivera and Gudino pursuant to the Kingpin Act. Today, Rivera and Gudino are being sanctioned pursuant to E.O. 14059 and pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for being directed by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, CJNG.
Ibarra
The other individual sanctioned today is Puerto Vallarta native Michael Ibarra Diaz Jr. (Ibarra). An ostensibly legitimate businessman involved in the tourism industry, Ibarra is engaged in timeshare fraud on behalf of CJNG. For over 20 years, Ibarra has been involved in the sale and management of timeshares in the Puerto Vallarta area, including just north in the state of Nayarit. Ibarra was trained as an accountant, which is consistent with CJNG’s use of professionals to conduct this complicated and highly lucrative scheme. Ibarra is being sanctioned pursuant to E.O. 14059 and pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for being directed by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, CJNG.
Also sanctioned today is Ibarra’s corporate network, which is composed of 13 companies. Five of the companies—Akali Realtors, Centro Mediador De La Costa, S.A. de C.V., Corporativo Integral De La Costa, S.A. de C.V., Corporativo Costa Norte, S.A. de C.V., and Sunmex Travel, S. de R.L. De C.V.—explicitly acknowledge their involvement in the timeshare industry. Another company involved in timeshare-related transactions—TTR Go, S.A. de C.V.—claims only to be a travel agency. Three additional companies are purportedly engaged in real estate activities: Inmobiliaria Integral Del Puerto, S.A. de C.V., KVY Bucerias, S.A. de C.V., and Servicios Inmobiliarios Ibadi, S.A. de C.V. This diverse corporate network also includes tour operators (Fishing Are Us, S. De R.L. de C.V.; Santamaria Cruise, S. de R.L. de C.V.), an automotive service company (Laminado Profesional Automotriz Elte, S.A. de C.V.), and an accounting firm (Consultorias Profesionales Almida, S.A. de C.V.). These 13 companies are 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, Ibarra.
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.
Also sanctioned today is Ibarra’s corporate network, which is composed of 13 companies. Five of the companies—
Three additional companies are purportedly engaged in real estate activities: 
