Treasury aims to disrupt Cartel del Noreste’s leadership and financial networks tied to violence and drug trafficking.
The US Department of the Treasury has announced sanctions on assets of four individuals that it linked to Mexico-based Cartel del Noreste, including the popular hip-hop artist El Makabelico.
The sanctions target three “high-ranking members” of Cartel del Noreste (Northeast Cartel), which splintered off from Los Zetas, as well as an alleged “prominent associate” of the group, Ricardo Hernandez, a 34-year-old musician known as El Makabelico who has millions of followers on social media.
The Treasury said El Makabelico’s concerts and events are used to launder money on behalf of the organisation, “with 50 percent of his royalties from streaming platforms going directly to the group.”
The Treasury identified the three other individuals as Abdon Rodriguez, Antonio Romero, and Francisco Esqueda.
