(NewsNation) — The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday sanctioned five Mexican individuals associated with one of Mexico’s most dangerous criminal organizations for alleged human smuggling, narcotics trafficking and forced labor in the Gulf of Mexico.
The notorious Gulf Cartel, according to the Treasury Department, utilizes unregulated fishing in the Gulf as a revenue stream and often involves criminal forced labor and human rights abuses.
The Gulf Cartel is a long-standing, powerful drug trafficking organization that operates throughout the Mexican state of Tamaulipas and has been accused by the U.S. of moving arms, drugs, and migrants into the U.S. The criminal organization was also allegedly responsible for the kidnapping and murder of American citizens in March 2023.
“Today’s action highlights how transnational criminal organizations like the Gulf Cartel rely on a variety of illicit schemes like IUU fishing to fund their operations, along with narcotics trafficking and human smuggling,” said Bardley T. Smith, acting undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.
