1 of 2 | The Treasury Department describes the Sinaloa Cartel (pictured in clash with police in Sinaloa, Mexico, in January) as 'one of the most powerful and pervasive drug trafficking organizations in the world.' File Photo by Juan Carlos Cruz/EPA-EFE
July 12 (UPI) -- The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control announced Wednesday that it has sanctioned multiple individuals and entities linked to the Sinaloa drug cartel.
The sanctioned entities and individuals include associates of the precursor chemical producers, brothers Luis and Ludim Alfanso Zamudio Lerma. The brothers are associated with the Los Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, which is run by the sons of imprisoned cartel leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.
The Treasury Department sanctioned the Zamudio Lerma brothers in February, accusing them of supplying drug "super-labs."
The Treasury Department describes the Sinaloa Cartel as "one of the most powerful and pervasive drug trafficking organizations in the world."
"On my visit to the southwest border, I've seen how Treasury's authorities can best be used to expose and isolate those who profit from deadly fentanyl sales in the United States," said Under Secretary for the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson.
Among the sanctioned individuals are Noel Paez Lopez and Ricardo Paez Lopez, who are accused of selling precursor chemicals and running drug laboratories, and Dora Vanessa Valdez Fernandez, who is accused of purchasing precursor chemicals.
Suspected fentanyl traffickers and cartel enforcers Nestor Isidro Perez Salas and Oscar Noe Medina Gonzalez were designated by Justice officials, along with accused methamphetamine trafficker Jeuri Limon Elenes.
The Treasury Department said the individuals were sanctioned 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."
Also, the import/export company REI Compania Inernacional was designated by Justice officials as having acted as an importer of precursor chemicals from China. The company's majority shareholder, Eliseo de Leon Becerra, was also cited, along with multiple other individuals and operations.
The Treasury Department says its action was "coordinated closely with the Government of Mexico's La Unidad de Inteligencia Financeria," which is Mexico's financial intelligence agency.
