The Treasury Department announced on Thursday new sanctions against Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of Mexico’s largest crime organizations, which has been linked to fentanyl trafficking, fuel theft and crude oil smuggling across the southern border.
The sanctions target three Mexican individuals and two Mexican-based entities: a leader of the cartel, Cesar Morfin Morfin, and his brothers Alvaro Noe Morfin Morfin and Remigio Morfin Morfin, as well as two hazardous material companies that work with the cartel to transport fuel and crude oil into the U.S.
The Treasury Department said the criminal activities linked to the organization generate hundreds of millions of dollars each year and are connected to violent crimes and the flow of fentanyl into the U.S.
“Fuel theft and crude oil smuggling are cash cows for CJNG’s narco-terrorist enterprise, providing a lucrative revenue stream for the group and enabling it to wreak havoc in Mexico and the United States,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
“Treasury, as part of the Administration’s whole-of-government effort, will continue to use all available tools to relentlessly target drug cartels and foreign terrorist organizations to Make America Safe Again,” he added.
The announcement comes after the State Department in February 2025 designated CJNG a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) and specially designated global terrorist (SDGT). The State Department said it’s offering a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of the co-founder and current leader of the cartel.
“The United States remains committed to protecting our nation and the American people by keeping poisonous drugs like fentanyl off our streets and disrupting the revenue streams profiting Mexico-based FTOs and SDGTs like CJNG,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement Thursday.
“Today’s action further demonstrates the Trump Administration’s commitment to eliminating cartels and protecting the safety of the American people,” Bruce added.
The announcement Thursday is the latest in a series of steps the Trump administration has announced with the stated goal of combatting fentanyl.
Trump has said his sweeping tariffs announced last month are intended, in part, to help combat the influx of fentanyl at the border.
