The United States announced sanctions on Thursday targeting more than 50 Mexican individuals and entities linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The measures include its new leader, dual U.S.-Mexican national Juan Carlos Gonzalez.
The Treasury Department said Gonzalez, also known as Pelon, took control of the cartel after the death of its previous chief, Nemesio Oseguera, known as El Mencho. Oseguera was injured in a military sweep in Jalisco state in February and died of his injuries en route to the hospital.
The announcement followed a wave of violence across Mexico after the killing, with the cartel setting up highway blockades and setting fires in 20 states. More than 70 people died, including 25 National Guard members.
Gonzalez, born in Santa Ana, California, on Sept. 12, 1984, faces U.S. federal drug trafficking charges, with the State Department offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the action disrupts the cartel's criminal activities, including fentanyl trafficking.
The sanctions also target financiers, companies involved in laundering, a cocaine network, and a fuel smuggling operation. In April, Mexican authorities arrested Audias Flores Silva, one of Gonzalez's deputies.
