TITLE: United States Office of Foreign Assets Control Adds Individuals and Entities to Sanctions List for Sinaloa Cartel Narcotics Trafficking
BODY:
On May 20, 2026, the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added 13 individuals and two entities to its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List in connection with narcotics trafficking operations linked to Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel.
The designations target individuals involved in fentanyl trafficking and related money laundering activities. Those added include Jesus Alonso Aispuro Felix, identified as a key Sinaloa Cartel operative; Armando de Jesus Ojeda Aviles, designated with multiple cryptocurrency addresses used for illicit financial transactions; and Jesus Gonzalez Penuelas, a cartel leader also known as "El Chuy Gonzalez." Additional individuals designated include Rodrigo Alarcon Palomares, Castulo Bojorquez Chaparro, Noe de Jesus Castro Rocha, Fredi Ismael Garcia Sandoval, Luis Arnulfo Moreno Zamora, Alfredo Orozco Romero, Liliana Orozco Romero, Amalia Margarita Romero Moreno, and Baltazar Saenz Aguilar. All individuals are Mexican nationals with documented connections to the cartel's trafficking network.
OFAC also designated two Mexican entities: Gorditas Chiwas, a restaurant business established January 11, 2006, and Grupo Especial Mamba Negra, S. de R.L. de C.V., a private security company established March 25, 2010. Both entities are linked to cartel money laundering operations. The designations invoke Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886, subjecting all listed individuals and entities to secondary sanctions risk. Financial institutions and other parties must freeze assets and cease transactions with designated persons. The action reflects OFAC's ongoing efforts to disrupt narcotics trafficking networks and illicit financial flows related to fentanyl distribution.