Treasury Sanctions 21 People and 25 Entities in Sinaloa Cartel Sweep
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 29
Treasury Sanctions 21 People and 25 Entities in Sinaloa Cartel Sweep
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 29
Summary
Treasury on Tuesday moved against Los Mayos, the Sinaloa Cartel faction it says runs fentanyl trafficking, money laundering and killings tied to operations on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.
The sanctions target 21 individuals and 25 entities, including U.S.-born alleged faction chief Ismael "Mayito Flaco" Zambada Sicairos, and block their U.S. assets while barring Americans from doing business with them.
Treasury said the network controls the Tijuana and Mexicali trafficking corridors through corruption and violence, alleging cartel penetration reached senior levels of Baja California government and police.
Carlos Torres Torres, ex-husband of Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda, was sanctioned after the U.S. revoked his visa in May 2025 over alleged cartel ties; his brother and a former Mexicali security chief were also named.
The action also details alleged Southern California operations, including hitmen hired to kill rivals and money exchanges used to move U.S. drug cash to Mexico, as Los Mayos fights Los Chapitos after El Mayo Zambada's 2024 arrest.
Will Treasury sanctions on Mayito Flaco’s Los Mayos network actually choke fentanyl routes through Tijuana and Mexicali, or just force the cartel to adapt?
After El Mayo’s fall and Mayito Flaco’s rise, can financial sanctions disrupt the Sinaloa Cartel’s new power structure more effectively than arrests alone?
How far did alleged cartel influence reach into Baja California politics and policing, and what evidence links facilitators to Los Mayos’ money flows?