WASHINGTON — Today, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned five Mexican nationals and two Mexico-based entities linked to La Linea, a violent Mexico-based drug trafficking organization responsible for trafficking fentanyl and other deadly drugs into the United States. Today’s action was coordinated closely with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Government of Mexico, including La Unidad de Inteligencia Financiera (UIF), Mexico’s Financial Intelligence Unit.
“President Biden and Vice President Harris are committed to using every tool at our disposal to target and disrupt the cartels peddling deadly fentanyl on our streets. If La Linea continues to directly contribute to the proliferation of deadly fentanyl throughout our communities, Treasury will continue to use every took in our arsenal to go after their criminal activity,” said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo. “The United States, in close coordination with our Mexican partners, remains committed to doing everything we can to hold these groups to account and to disrupt their ability to profit from and ultimately operate these criminal schemes.”
Treasury plays a leading role in countering the trafficking of fentanyl and other illicit drugs as part of President Biden’s Unity Agenda, leveraging its expertise to fight illicit financing and financial crimes to disrupt the flows of money that criminal organizations rely on to operate. Over the past two years, Treasury has sanctioned more than 350 targets for involvement in drug trafficking activities at all stages of the supply chain, from major cartel leaders to under-the-radar labs, transportation networks, and chemical suppliers. Last year, Secretary Yellen launched the Counter-Fentanyl Strike Force, which brings together Treasury’s expertise and resources in fighting financial crime, led by the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence (TFI) and IRS Criminal Investigation (CI). Secretary Yellen has also engaged with international partners to combat fentanyl trafficking, including during her travel to Mexico last year. In April, Secretary Yellen also announced the launch of an exchange with the People’s Republic of China to enhance cooperating in combatting money laundering associated with drug trafficking and other crime.
LA LINEA’S EMERGENCE AS A VIOLENT REGIONAL POWER
La Linea began as an armed wing of the Juarez Cartel intended to help the drug trafficking organization defend its border territories in and around Ciudad Juarez in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico. Today, La Linea operates in Ciudad Juarez, where it has access to drug trafficking and human smuggling routes across the U.S.-Mexico border. La Linea taxes other Mexican drug trafficking organizations to move their merchandise through the Juarez Valley and generates other revenue via synthetic drug trafficking, illegal logging, and car theft in Chihuahua, Mexico. Associates of La Linea are also involved in human trafficking across the United States. In November 2019, La Linea members murdered nine American citizens, including six children, in the Mexican state of Sonora. In addition, La Linea and the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) have been working together since September 2023, with CJNG serving as La Linea’s source-of-supply for cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl.
In 2004, the President identified the Juarez Cartel as a significant foreign narcotics trafficker pursuant to the Kingpin Act. On December 15, 2021, OFAC also designated the Juarez Cartel pursuant to E.O. 14059, at which time La Linea was added as an alias of the Juarez Cartel.
In 2015, OFAC sanctioned CJNG pursuant to the Kingpin Act for playing a significant role in international narcotics trafficking. CJNG was subsequently designated pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14059 on December 15, 2021.
LACERATING LA LINEA’S LEADERSHIP
Today, OFAC is designating various leaders and senior members in La Linea’s current organizational structure.
Josefa Yadira Carrasco Leyva (Carrasco Leyva) is a senior member of La Linea who is involved in narcotics trafficking, human trafficking, and weapons smuggling. Jorge Adrian Ortega Gallegos (Ortega Gallegos) is a high-ranking member of La Linea who previously was indicted in the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico for drug conspiracy charges.
Heber Nieto Fierro (Nieto Fierro) is a drug trafficker and money launderer for La Linea. He owns or controls two companies that are also being designated today, R.y H. El Remate, Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, and Soluciones Tecnologicas y Paqueteria Tres, Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable.
Jesus Salas Aguayo (Salas Aguayo) is a La Linea associate who controls a plaza in Chihuahua, Mexico, for the cartel. He previously was indicted in the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico for drug conspiracy charges. Adrian Aguayo is a La Linea associate who controls a plaza in Chihuahua, Mexico for the cartel.
OFAC sanctioned Carrasco Leyva, Ortega Gallegos, Nieto Fierro, Salas Aguayo, and Adrian Aguayo pursuant to E.O. 14059 for having engaged in, or attempted to engage in, activities or transactions that have materially contributed to, or pose a significant risk of materially contributing to, the international proliferation of illicit drugs or their means of production. OFAC sanctioned R.y H. El Remate, Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, and Soluciones Tecnologicas y Paqueteria Tres, Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable pursuant to E.O. 14059 for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Nieto Fierro.
SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS
As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of the designated 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 designated or otherwise blocked persons. U.S. persons may face civil or criminal penalties for violations of E.O. 14059 and the Kingpin Act. Non-U.S. persons are also prohibited from causing or conspiring to cause U.S. persons to wittingly or unwittingly violate U.S. sanctions, as well as engaging in conduct that evades U.S. sanctions. OFAC’s Economic Sanctions Enforcement Guidelines provide more information regarding OFAC’s enforcement of U.S. sanctions, including the factors that OFAC generally considers when determining an appropriate response to an apparent violation.
The power and integrity of OFAC sanctions derive not only from OFAC’s ability to designate and add persons to the 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, please refer to OFAC’s Frequently Asked Question 897 here. For detailed information on the process to submit a request for removal from an OFAC sanctions list, please click here.
For more information on the individuals and entities designated today, click here.
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