US sanctions 15 individuals and entities linked to Cartel del Noreste criminal network in Mexico

WASHINGTON, October 13, 2026 — The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions on four individuals and 11 entities linked to Mexico’s Cartel del Noreste (CDN), targeting commercial networks allegedly used to generate revenue and facilitate the cartel’s criminal activities. The designations target businesses operating across horse racing, construction, transportation and fuel distribution, which Treasury said provide financial and logistical support to CDN.

Among those designated is Club La Molienda, a horse racing venue near Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, which OFAC identified as a significant source of cartel revenue. The venue allegedly generates income through racing fees and spectators and previously maintained a gambling arrangement with the cartel-linked Casino Centenario, sanctioned in April 2026.

OFAC also designated Mexican businessman Gamaliel Garza Garcia and his son, Gamaliel Garza Elias, over their alleged involvement in cartel-linked commercial activities and political corruption.

Garza Garcia allegedly used his construction company, Construcciones y Edificaciones Garza Elias S.A. de C.V. (CEGESA), to channel funds into political campaigns supporting CDN-preferred candidates and secure government contracts subsequently subcontracted to cartel affiliates.

Nine companies associated with Garza Garcia were designated, including CEGESA, Concretos y Productos Asfalticos del Norte S.A. de C.V. (COPASA), Cuadra San Dibanh and businesses involved in construction, fuel distribution and transportation.

Additional designations include Pablo Cesar Guajardo Alvarez, known as "Takia," whom OFAC identified as a CDN leader in Nuevo Laredo, and Francisco Javier Inzunza Partida, a dispatcher associated with trucking company Tamex Leasing or Tamex Logistics. OFAC alleges that Tamex facilitated cocaine smuggling into the United States.

The sanctions were imposed under Executive Orders 14059 and 13224, as amended, targeting illicit drug trafficking and terrorism-related activities.

CDN, formerly associated with Los Zetas, was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States in February 2025. Treasury described the latest measures as its fourth and largest sanctions action targeting CDN networks during the Trump administration.

The designations freeze all property and interests in property of sanctioned persons within U.S. jurisdiction and generally prohibit U.S. persons from conducting transactions involving them. Entities owned 50% or more, directly or indirectly, by one or more blocked persons are also subject to blocking restrictions.

Treasury said the action was coordinated with U.S. law enforcement agencies and Mexico’s financial intelligence unit as part of efforts to dismantle the cartel’s financial infrastructure.