U.S. blacklists two Mexican firms linked to Sinaloa drug cartel

Washington, United States (4E) – The United States Treasury Department on Wednesday slapped sanctions on two Mexican companies linked to Sinaloa drug cartel’s leader Jose Esparragoza Moreno.

One of the blacklisted companies is Cancun-registered Socialika Rentas y Catering, S.A. de C.V. Moreno’s daughter Brenda Guadalupe Esparragoza Moreno owns this event planning company. Urbanizadora Nueva Italia, S.A. de C.V., is a real estate company in Guadalajara. Juvencio Ignacio Gonzalez Parada owns the company.

The Treasury Department has put both the owners on its sanctions list for acting on Sinaloa’s behalf. “Today’s action serves as a reminder to Esparragoza Moreno that he and his organization remain in our sights,” Adam Szubin, Director of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, said in a statement.

He added many Mexican entities in its private sector have voluntary cut their ties with Esparragoza Moreno’s corporate network. “However, it should be noted that any company or individual that continues to act on behalf of or support this network could become the target of sanctions,” he noted.

The sanctions will restrict American businessmen from doing any kind of transactions with the two blacklisted companies. The U.S. has also frozen the companies’ assets, which were under U.S. jurisdiction.

The U.S. had declared Esparragoza Moreno and the Sinaloa cartel as foreign narcotics traffickers in 2003 and 2009 respectively. In 2003, Moreno is on the U.S. most wanted list after he indicted on drug trafficking charges. Washington has also offered a $5 million reward for Moreno’s arrest, while Mexico offered $2.35 million for his capture.

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