The U.S. Treasury Department is imposing sanctions on accused leaders of two more Mexican drug cartels, as the Trump administration seeks to crack down on the criminal organizations’ financial networks.
The new sanctions target two different cartels, Cárteles Unidos and Los Viagras, as well as seven individuals accused of being associated with them. Both criminal organizations have contributed to violence and destabilization in the Mexican state of Michoacán.
The United States accuses Los Viagras of crimes in rural parts of that state, including extorting avocado and citrus growers and ranchers to generate revenue.
The U.S. State Department also announced monetary rewards associated with accused leaders of the Cárteles Unidos, including a $10 million reward for information about its alleged leader, Juan José Farías Álvarez, also known as “El Abuelo.”
He and other members of the cartel were also charged by the U.S. Justice Department this week, along with five other allegedly high-ranking members of the same cartel. The Trump administration designated Cárteles Unidos and several other Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations earlier this year.
The Treasury Department earlier this week announced other sanctions on alleged members of the Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel and businesses they accuse of operating timeshare frauds out of Puerto Vallarta. These most recent sanctions come after a spate of other U.S. sanctions against alleged cartel members and associated businesses across Mexico.
