The US Department of Justice has recently announced that two leaders of the La Nueva Familia Michoacana drug cartel have been hit with financial sanctions by the US Treasury. These two leaders, Rodolfo Maldonado-Bustos and Euclides Camacho-Goicochea, were indicted back in 2017 for charges related to the import and distribution of heroin in the US from Mexico.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) made the announcement of the sanctions against the two fugitives. Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized that these actions are aimed at hitting the cartels where it hurts the most, their profits. By holding cartel leaders accountable and disrupting their criminal operations, the government hopes to put a stop to the drug trafficking and human smuggling that plague communities and threaten national security.
The investigation into the La Nueva Familia Michoacana cartel began in 2016 when DEA and IRS agents started looking into the cartel’s activities. It was revealed that Maldonado-Bustos played a significant role in coordinating the manufacturing of large quantities of heroin in Mexico. He was allegedly involved in overseeing the harvesting of opium gum, processing it into heroin, and supplying it to be imported into the US, including cities like Atlanta and Houston. On the other hand, Camacho-Goicochea was responsible for managing the collection and transfer of drug proceeds from the US back to Mexico.
In early 2017, agents seized over $580,000 in drug proceeds from vehicles and homes in the Atlanta area, which were believed to be destined for the cartel. Special Agent in Charge Robert J. Murphy from the DEA Atlanta Field Division emphasized the importance of cutting off drug cartels from their profits to combat drug trafficking effectively.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen highlighted the significance of imposing sanctions on individuals involved in trafficking fentanyl into the US. The goal of these actions is to disrupt the cartels’ business operations by cutting them off from the US financial system and the dollar. The sanctions were a collaborative effort between the Treasury Department, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the US Attorney’s Office in Atlanta.
Overall, the financial sanctions against the leaders of the La Nueva Familia Michoacana drug cartel represent a critical step in the government’s efforts to tackle drug trafficking and criminal activities that threaten the safety and well-being of communities in the US. By disrupting the cartels’ operations and cutting off their profits, law enforcement agencies aim to make it harder for these criminal organizations to continue their illegal activities.