The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced on Apr. 14 that it has sanctioned six targets connected to a money laundering and cash smuggling operation run by Cartel del Noreste (CDN), a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization with significant influence near Laredo, Texas. The action includes three individuals central to CDN’s control over Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, as well as two casinos affiliated with the cartel.
The Treasury said these measures are part of ongoing efforts to disrupt criminal organizations that traffic fentanyl, engage in human smuggling, launder money, and extort businesses along the U.S.-Mexico border. “As President Trump has made clear, Treasury will use all tools to protect our nation from violent cartels looking to reign terror on innocent Americans,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “Treasury will continue to target the diverse revenue streams that cartels rely on to sustain their operations, which include trafficking fentanyl and illegal aliens into the United States.”
The investigation was coordinated by a Homeland Security Task Force involving the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Laredo District Office and San Antonio Division Office. OFAC works closely with such task forces targeting illicit drug networks and their financial mechanisms.
According to OFAC, Casino Centenario in Nuevo Laredo is used by CDN as both a stash house for drugs and a front for laundering proceeds through gaming operations. The casino is also allegedly used for intimidating rivals. Its operator CAMSA was also designated under executive orders targeting international drug proliferation and terrorism support activities; CAMSA operates Diamante Casino in Tampico as well.
Among those sanctioned is Eduardo Javier Islas Valdez (“Crosty”), identified as overseeing human smuggling for CDN in Nuevo Laredo; Juan Pablo Penilla Rodriguez, an attorney accused of acting as an intermediary between imprisoned cartel leaders and current leadership; and Jesus Reymundo Ramos Vazquez (“Raymundo Ramos”), described as running disinformation campaigns while posing as a human rights activist.
All property belonging to these designated individuals or entities within U.S. jurisdiction is now blocked, with further restrictions applying under OFAC regulations unless authorized by license or exemption. The department warned that violations could result in civil or criminal penalties for both U.S. and foreign persons involved in prohibited transactions.
