Cartel del Noreste members, assocate sanctioned by US Treasury

(NewsNation) — Three high-ranking members and one prominent associate of the notorious Cartel del Noreste in Mexico have been sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign  Assets Control, the agency announced on Wednesday.

The cartel, which was formerly known as Los Zetas, is considered one of the most violent drug trafficking organizations in Mexico and has been designated by the Trump administration as a foreign terrorist organization. Treasury Department officials said that CDN exerts significant influence over the U.S.-Mexico border, specifically at the Laredo, Texas, port of entry.

Abdon Frederico Rodriguez Garcia, Antonio Romero Sanchez and Francisco Daniel Esqueda Nieto were the three high-ranking members who were sanctioned by Treasury officials. Richardo Hernandez Medrano was also sanctioned as a known associate of the cartel, the federal agency announced.

Rodriguez has been identified as the second-in-command in the cartel. Known also as "Cucho", Rodriguez is alleged to be involved in drug trafficking, money laundering, fuel theft and extortion on behalf of the cartel.

Romero is considered a high-ranking member and has led cartel operations in Mexican border cities on behalf of the organization, the Treasury Department said. Also known as "Romeo", Romero is a former police officer from Tamaulipas and has been linked to several assassinations, officials said.

The cartel’s influence has affected communities on both sides of the southern border, specifically in the Mexican border communities of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas and Piedras Negras, Coahuila. CDN’s role is trafficking fentanyl and smuggling humans across the U.S.-Mexico border puts American lives at risk, the Treasury Department said.

The individuals being designated by the federal agency play key roles in the cartel’s “horrific crimes”, including assassinations, beheadings, drug trafficking, extortion and money laundering, the agency announced.

“Under President Trump, the Treasury Department will continue to be relentless in its effort to Put America First by targeting terrorist drug cartels,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement issued by the agency. “Those cartels poison Americans with fentanyl and conduct human trafficking operations along our southwest border.

Bessent said that the agency along with federal law enforcement -including Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration - is committed to a “full-frontal assault” on the cartels and will target the leadership and revenue streams that enable criminal activity.