This Wednesday, July 12, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned 10 people, including several members of the Sinaloa Cartel and fugitives, as well as an entity based in Mexico, in accordance with Executive Order (EO) 14059.
Those sanctioned are associated with Sinaloa, Mexico-based precursor chemical suppliers and brothers Ludim and Luis Alfonso Zamudio Lerma and ultimately operate under the Los Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. Responsible for a significant portion of the illicit fentanyl and other deadly drugs trafficked into the United States, the Sinaloa Cartel is one of the most powerful and pervasive drug trafficking organizations in the world.
“In my visit to the Southwest border, I saw how Treasury authorities can best be used to expose and isolate those who profit from the deadly sales of fentanyl in the United States,” said the Under Secretary of Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. , Brian E. .Nelson. “Today’s sanctions demonstrate our ability and determination to exploit the financial vulnerabilities of networks involved in the illicit trade in fentanyl.”
OFAC designated Noel López Pérez and Ricardo Páez López, both Mexican nationals, who are involved in drug trafficking and transportation, sale of chemical precursors, supervision of illicit drug laboratories, cross-border tunnels, and Los Chapitos control operations. As the brother of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera’s second wife, Griselda López Pérez, Noel López Pérez is Guzmán Loera’s brother-in-law and therefore uncle to Ovidio and Joaquín Guzmán López. In addition, Ricardo Páez López and his brother, Saúl Páez López, are maternal cousins of the Guzmán López brothers. OFAC designated Joaquín Guzmán López and Saúl Páez López in May of this year pursuant to EO 14059.
In addition, OFAC today designated Mexican citizens Dora Vanessa Valdez Fernandez, who purchases precursor chemicals from Ludim Zamudio Lerma; Néstor Isidro Pérez Salas (aka “Nini”) and Oscar Noe Medina González (aka “Panu”), fentanyl dealers and violent enforcers of Los Chapitos; and Jeuri Limón Elenes, a methamphetamine dealer and brother-in-law of the brothers Ricardo and Saúl Páez López.
OFAC designated Noel Lopez Perez, Ricardo Paez Lopez, Dora Vanessa Valdez Fernandez, Nestor Isidro Perez Salas, Oscar Noe Medina Gonzalez, and Jeuri Limon Elenes pursuant to EO 14059 for having engaged or attempted to engage in activities or transactions that have materially contributed to the international proliferation of illicit drugs or their means of production, or present a significant risk of materially contributing to it.
Also today, OFAC designated the import/export company REI Compañía Internacional, SA de CV (REI Compañía Internacional) pursuant to EO 14059 for having engaged or attempted to engage in activities or transactions that have materially contributed to the international proliferation of drugs. or their means of production, or present a significant risk of materially contributing to it. Headquartered in Metepec, State of Mexico, REI Compañía Internacional regularly receives shipments of chemical products from exporters in the People’s Republic of China. OFAC also designated the company’s majority shareholder, Eliseo de León Becerra, for being a leader or official of REI Compañía Internacional
