U.S. sanctions Los Mendoza and Los Huistas
By Cartel Insider Wire Desk · Edited by Mica Treviño
Original reporting: Ríodoce Narcotráfico
What happened
Ríodoce, citing La Jornada, reported U.S. sanctions against Los Mendoza and Los Huistas over alleged drug-trafficking links to the Sinaloa Cartel and CJNG, alongside a separate terrorist designation for Los Lorenzanas.
Reporting and context
The United States imposed sanctions on Guatemala’s Los Mendoza and Los Huistas groups over alleged cooperation with the Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), according to Ríodoce, citing La Jornada.
Ríodoce reported that the Treasury Department announced the measures on Friday, accusing both groups of using political and economic networks in Guatemala to facilitate drug shipments and protect their operations. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the sanctions exposed connections between politically influential Guatemalan organizations and the Mexican cartels.
U.S. authorities described Los Mendoza as a family organization founded in the 1980s. They accused it of supporting the Sinaloa Cartel by controlling border crossings, clandestine airstrips, warehouses and protection networks in San Marcos, Huehuetenango and Petén. The report also attributed allegations of contract killings, money laundering and land seizures to the U.S. account.
Treasury identified Los Huistas, active since the 1990s, as a key organization moving cocaine from South America toward the United States. It alleged operational links to both Mexican cartels and relationships with businesspeople, officials and politicians in northwestern Guatemala.
The sanctions freeze designated parties’ property and interests in property in the United States or under the control of U.S. citizens, the report said. They also prohibit financial or commercial dealings with those parties and allow possible secondary sanctions against foreign institutions facilitating significant transactions. Treasury warned that financial institutions could face restrictions on, or closure of, U.S. correspondent accounts.
Separately, the State Department designated Guatemala’s Los Lorenzanas as a foreign terrorist organization, Ríodoce reported. The article recalled that the Sinaloa Cartel and CJNG were placed on U.S. foreign terrorist organization and global terrorist lists in February 2025.
Source: Ríodoce.