The governments of the United States and Mexico announced this Thursday that they have frozen the assets of seven individuals and 15 companies allegedly linked to the Sinaloa Cartel, a measure they described as a demonstration of their cooperation on the matter.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury said in a statement that, through the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), it decided to sanction Mexican individuals and companies allegedly linked to the cartel, particularly the Los Mayos faction.
The sanctions include the freezing of the properties and interests of those involved located in the United States, as well as a ban on U.S. citizens conducting transactions with them.
One of the sanctioned individuals is former mayor of Rosarito Beach and current federal deputy Hilda Araceli Brown Figueredo, of the ruling Morena party, whom the Department accuses of having provided protection for the cartel’s activities during her term as mayor (2021-2024). The other individuals implicated are accused of belonging to armed groups of the Sinaloa Cartel or being financial and political operators.
CNN has contacted Brown Figueredo for comment and is awaiting a response. In a statement posted on her Facebook account, Brown Figueredo denied having committed any illegal act and denied that her accounts have been blocked.
“Friends, to those who trust me, you are witnesses of how we have fought together for transformation, against corruption. My commitment has always been to the movement; surely as a result of this struggle, I am the target of an infamy intended to discredit me,” the legislator said. “I stand firm in any situation, before any authority. I will continue working for you as always,” he added.
CNN has also contacted the Morena party and is seeking to contact the rest of the individuals targeted.
The companies sanctioned by the Department work in the food, hotel, bar, and transportation sectors, according to the statement.
“The Sinaloa Cartel is an organization designated by the United States as a transnational terrorist organization that is responsible for a significant portion of the illicit trafficking of fentanyl into the United States, which ultimately poisons Americans. In addition to drug trafficking, the Sinaloa Cartel has profited from migrant smuggling across the border,” the Department said.
After the Department announced its sanctions, Mexico’s Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP) reported in a statement that, through the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF), it decided to freeze the accounts of the seven individuals and 15 companies targeted by the United States. She argued that this measure is “preventive in nature, not a judicial determination, and does not prejudge the existence of criminal liability without evidence.”
“The UIF reaffirms that all international cooperation actions in financial matters are carried out in accordance with the law and with the objective of protecting the integrity of the Mexican financial system,” she said.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum addressed the case this Friday during her morning press conference. She said that the UIF’s administrative block does not mean that Mexico currently has any indication that the congresswoman is involved in money laundering or has any connection to the Sinaloa Cartel.
“If there were more information, we would not protect anyone, but until now, the UIF has not considered that there was not enough information to proceed from Mexico,” she stated. “In any case, if all the evidence is provided by the United States, or more evidence, we would open an investigation.”
Source: cnnespanol
