(RepublicanView.org) – The United States Treasury Department has issued official sanctions against multiple people allegedly connected to a dangerous and influential Mexican drug cartel.
The sanctions, issued as a joint effort between Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, several attorneys in Atlanta, GA, and the US Drug Enforcement Administration, are targeting eight allegedly high-ranking members of the notorious La Nueva Familia Michoacana cartel.
The cartel, which ranks among the most deadly and prolific in Mexico, is known for trafficking fentanyl, a highly addictive and dangerous drug, across the southern US border. The cartel is also reportedly notorious for human trafficking.
The sanctions will block access to US assets and certain financial transactions. The Treasury Department hopes the sanctions will disrupt the cashflow that funds the cartel’s operations and make their efforts to smuggle drugs and people across the border more difficult. However, Yellen also acknowledged that cryptocurrency transactions could help them bypass some of the sanction’s provisions.
The sanctions join a growing list as part of an effort to crack down on the activities of Mexican cartels, which currently have operations in all 50 US states. They have flooded communities of all sizes with illegal drugs and are quick to use violence when defending their turf. The DEA calls it the “worst drug crisis in US history.” Yellen also said the Mexican government has been more cooperative in recent years.
Fentanyl has become increasingly common in recent years. It’s relatively cheap to manufacture and around 100 times more powerful than morphine. Even worse, it’s addictive in small quantities, making it relatively easy to smuggle. Fentanyl is also often combined with other drugs to increase their strength, according to the DEA.
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