OFAC Sanctions Arms Trafficker for Mexican Cartel
The Office of Foreign Assets Control has designated Obed Christian Sepulveda Portillo for the trafficking of high-caliber firearms from the U.S. to Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), one of Mexico’s most powerful drug organizations, according to a July 11 news release.
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Sepulveda coordinates daily shipments of firearms and bulk ammunition from the U.S. southwest border into Mexico through a network of individual movers, OFAC said. The sanctions action was part of a larger ongoing effort by Mexico and various U.S. agencies, including Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations division and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, to disrupt Mexican drug trafficking organizations’ procurement of weapons, OFAC said.
“CJNG’s power and violence are only possible because of its ability to obtain high-powered weapons, which are used to protect drug trafficking routes, territory, and other illicit assets,” Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said. “Treasury is actively targeting those who support and supply drug trafficking and criminal organizations, especially those engaged in the production and distribution of synthetic opioids that claim the lives of tens of thousands of Americans each year.”