It was announced this morning that the U.S. Department of the Treasury has sanctioned businesses and individuals allegedly linked to the Northeast Cartel. Ángel Hernández has the details. Ángel, good morning—we’re listening.
Hello, Samuel Sereni. Good morning. Indeed, this marks another action taken by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control against three individuals and three entities linked to this criminal network—a group previously known as the Zetas.
Specifically, the sanctions target Tamaulipas-based activist Raymundo Ramos—the former Mexican attorney for former Zetas leader Miguel Ángel Treviño Morales—as well as an alleged human trafficker, two casinos, and a business entity.
In the case of the casinos and the business, the sanctions stem from their role in laundering money for the Northeast Cartel. Starting with Jesús Raymundo Ramos Vázquez: he serves as the president of the Human Rights Committee of Nuevo Laredo in Tamaulipas—a position that, according to the U.S., he actually uses as a façade for human rights activism to whitewash the image of Northeast Cartel members.
According to the U.S. government, he is an associate of the Northeast Cartel who spearheads the cartel’s disinformation campaign against Mexican authorities while posing as a human rights activist. Under the guise of human rights activism, Ramos allegedly defends violent cartel members by filing false complaints against the Mexican Army, paying individuals to attend protests, and shielding the reputations of fallen or arrested cartel members.
It’s worth noting—according to Washington—that this man is on the payroll of the group that once served as the armed wing of the Gulf Cartel. Also included in the sanctions is Juan Pablo Penilla, the former attorney for Miguel Ángel Treviño Morales—alias “El Z-40″—the former leader of the Zetas here in Mexico.
According to the United States, this man served as an intermediary between “Z-40” and the leadership of the Northeast Cartel and the Zetas (ZAS), facilitating their operations while the man himself was behind bars.
It’s important to note that this individual has now been handed over to U.S. authorities and is currently facing prosecution in the United States. The final individual is Eduardo Javier Islas Valdés—alias “Crosty”—a supervisor and operator of human trafficking activities in the Nuevo Laredo area, the operational base of the Northeast Cartel.
He’s also alleged to be the right-hand man of Don Federico Rodríguez García, who currently serves as the second-in-command of the Northeast Cartel. And finally, Samuel Celeni.
Three companies—specifically two casinos—have been designated: starting with Casino Centenario in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, and the *Comercializadora y Arrendadora de México* company that operates it.
This establishment was utilized as a front for money laundering through gambling operations; furthermore, the physical premises were used to stockpile fentanyl pills and cocaine, and even served as a site where the Northeast Cartel would torture and intimidate rivals.
The final entity—the second casino—is named Diamante Casino, located in Tampico, Tamaulipas; it, too, has been designated for operating on behalf of the Northeast Cartel. Thus, we are witnessing significant designations.
As we have explained several times in cases of this nature, inclusion on the U.S. Department of the Treasury and OFAC’s blacklist signifies that all assets belonging to these entities and individuals located on U.S. soil have been frozen, and that no U.S. entity or individual is permitted to engage in financial transactions with them.
Source: Milenio
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