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The United States has announced another round of sanctions targeting Mexican drug cartel members.
Some shit you should know before you read: Shortly after President Trump returned to office, he officially designated multiple Mexican drug cartels—including Cartel del Noreste, Sinaloa Cartel, and CJNG—as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), marking the first time in US history that Mexican cartels have received such a designation. This unprecedented move, enacted in February 2025, unlocked a powerful array of legal and operational tools typically reserved for combating global terrorism. These include economic sanctions, asset freezes, travel bans, enhanced intelligence sharing, and even the legal foundation for covert military operations or targeted drone strikes under counterterrorism authorities. The designation also grants US law enforcement and intelligence agencies expanded authority to prosecute cartel members for terrorism-related charges, and to disrupt financial networks supporting these organizations. Since the designation, the US has sanctioned entities involved in the cartels’ illicit oil trade, which has become a major revenue source.
What’s going on now: In a notable development, the United States Treasury Department announced new sanctions today against two senior leaders of the CDN. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on Miguel Angel de Anda Ledezma and Ricardo Gonzalez Sauceda for their roles in arms trafficking and violent cartel operations.
Miguel Angel de Anda Ledezma, a high-ranking CDN operative based in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, is accused of overseeing the purchase and smuggling of firearms and ammunition into Mexico using US-based straw purchasers—individuals who falsely purchase weapons on behalf of the cartel. These firearms, Treasury officials noted, have been used in multiple attacks against Mexican military forces, including a March 2024 ambush on a SEDENA patrol.
Ricardo Gonzalez Sauceda, previously CDN’s second-in-command, was arrested in February 2025 by Mexican authorities. He allegedly led CDN’s armed enforcement wing and coordinated attacks on both police and military personnel.
In a statement, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, “In working toward the total elimination of cartels to Make America Safe Again, the Trump Administration will hold these terrorists accountable for their criminal activities and abhorrent acts of violence. CDN and its leaders have carried out a violent campaign of intimidation, kidnapping, and terrorism, threatening communities on both sides of our southern border. We will continue to cut off the cartels’ ability to obtain the drugs, money, and guns that enable their violent activities.”
These sanctions freeze any US-based assets the individuals hold, bar Americans from doing business with them, and effectively cut them off from the international financial system.
