The Treasury Department issues sanctions against businesses linked to the Sinaloa cartel and against leaders of the Gulf Clan

( Spanish) – The United States Department of the Treasury reported This Tuesday, the government sanctioned a chain of ice cream shops and a Mexican pharmacy for alleged financing linked to the Sinaloa cartel. It also imposed sanctions on five Colombians, linked to the Los Urabeños gang, for alleged drug trafficking.

According to a statement from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), a group of people previously investigated for money laundering had established a chain of ice cream and popsicle shops in the state of Sinaloa.

The operation to determine these sanctions was coordinated with the Government of Mexico, including the Financial Intelligence Unit, the statement said.

OFAC said the measure “is part of a government-wide effort [de EE.UU] to counter the global threat posed by illicit drug trafficking to the United States, which is causing the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans annually, as well as countless non-fatal overdoses.”

“President Biden and Vice President Harris are committed to using every tool at our disposal to combat the cartels that are poisoning our communities with fentanyl and other deadly drugs,” said Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo.

In a dual action, OFAC also imposed sanctions on five Colombian citizens for alleged involvement in the global illicit drug trade. The U.S. agency identified the detainees as “leaders within the Clan del Golfo,” also known as Los Urabeños. “Today’s sanctions in Colombia are the result of collaboration with the Colombian National Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA),” the OFAC statement said.