The Department of the Treasury sanctioned two Mexican drug traffickers from the Northeast Cartel

The Department of the Treasury announced sanctions against two Mexican drug traffickers. They are two high-ranking members of the Cártel del Noreste (CDN), a transnational group formerly known as Los Zetas. Miguel Angel de Anda Ledezma and Ricardo Gonzalez Sauceda are affected. The sanctions were announced by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

Specifically, the Treasury accuses Ledesma of overseeing the acquisition of ammunition and weapons for the CDN, as well as being in charge of paying front men on U.S. soil. He currently resides in the border city of Nuevo Laredo, on the other side of the Rio Grande.

Gonzalez Sauceda was the CDN's second-in-command before local authorities arrested him in February of this year. "Gonzalez was chief of an armed enforcement wing of the cartel, benefiting from trafficked firearms used in attacks on the Mexican military and police", the Department of the Treasury stated. 

"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," Scott Bessent, Treasury secretary, said in a statement.

"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," he added.

Earlier this year, President Donald Trump catalogued eight criminal organizations as terrorist groups, including Tren de Aragua, Mara Salvatrucha (M-13) and CDN.

"The intent of designating these cartels and transnational organizations as terrorists is to protect our nation, the American people, and our hemisphere. That means stopping the campaigns of violence and terror by these vicious groups both in the United States and internationally. These designations provide law enforcement additional tools to stop these groups," the Department of State explained.