US sanctions Mexican casinos over alleged links to Cartel del Noreste

The U.S. Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on three individuals and two casinos with alleged links to Mexico’s Cartel del Noreste, marking another step in Washington’s ongoing efforts to dismantle one of Mexico’s most violent criminal organizations.

The Cartel del Noreste, which emerged from the notorious Los Zetas cartel, was designated as a terrorist organization by the Trump administration last year. The group has built a reputation for extreme violence while controlling trafficking routes for weapons, drugs, and humans through Nuevo Laredo, which stands as the busiest commercial port on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Among the entities targeted is Casino Centenario in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, which U.S. authorities claim serves as a drug storage facility and money laundering operation disguised as a gambling venue. The Treasury Department also sanctioned Diamante Casino in Tampico, another city in Tamaulipas state, which operates both a physical gambling establishment and an online betting platform allegedly tied to cartel activities.

Tuesday’s sanctions extend to several key individuals within the organization’s structure. Eduardo Javier Islas Valdez was identified as the “gatekeeper” who controls the cartel’s human smuggling routes into Texas, a lucrative operation that has grown in importance amid increasing migration through Mexico’s northern border.

The sanctions also target Juan Pablo Penilla Rodríguez, an attorney who allegedly provided legal and operational support to the organization. According to U.S. authorities, Penilla Rodríguez assisted Miguel Ángel Treviño Morales, known as “Z-40,” a former leader of Los Zetas who was extradited to the United States last year alongside his brother Omar Treviño Morales and 27 other individuals associated with the criminal group.

In a particularly controversial move, the Treasury Department has also sanctioned Jesús Reymundo Ramos, identifying him as a paid operative who spreads disinformation under the guise of human rights advocacy. Ramos did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the allegations.

This accusation comes with significant background. In March 2023, Ramos publicly claimed that the Mexican military and government had falsely linked him to the cartel. An independent investigation later revealed that his phone had been compromised by Pegasus spyware in 2020, raising questions about surveillance against activists in the region.

The Cartel del Noreste’s stronghold in Tamaulipas has made the state one of Mexico’s most dangerous. The organization has diversified beyond drug trafficking into fuel theft, extortion, and control of migrant smuggling routes, which have become increasingly profitable as migration numbers surge.

The U.S. sanctions effectively freeze any assets the targeted individuals and entities may hold in the United States and prohibit U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with them, creating significant obstacles for their business operations and financial movements across borders.

This action follows similar measures taken in August when the Treasury Department sanctioned two individuals and Mexican rapper Ricardo Hernández Medrano, known as “El Makabelico” or “Comando Exclusivo,” for their alleged ties to the criminal organization. These sanctions reflect an increasingly aggressive stance by U.S. authorities against not only the operational leadership of cartels but also their financial facilitators and cultural figures who help legitimize their activities.

The increased pressure on the Cartel del Noreste comes amid deteriorating security conditions in parts of northern Mexico and growing concern in Washington about the power of transnational criminal organizations operating along the shared 2,000-mile border.

As cartels evolve their business models to include sophisticated money laundering operations through legitimate-appearing businesses like casinos, U.S. authorities have responded by targeting these financial structures that allow criminal groups to integrate their profits into the formal economy.