US restricting visas for Sinaloa Cartel family members, business associates

The State Department on Monday issued visa restrictions for 75 people who they say are linked to the Sinaloa Cartel in an effort to quell the Mexican transnational crime organization’s drug trafficking operations.

“The Sinaloa Cartel smuggles illicit fentanyl, which the President designated as a Weapon of Mass Destruction, and other deadly drugs that harm American communities,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in a statement. 

“Imposing visa restrictions on drug traffickers, their family members, and close personal and business associates will not only prevent their entry into our nation, but also serve as a deterrent to continued illicit activities,” he added.

In September, the U.S. Treasury Department also sanctioned members of a Sinaloa Cartel faction known as Los Mayos.

Last August, Drug Enforcement Agency officials said they arrested 600 people tied to the Sinaloa Cartel through different busts across the span of a week and collected 420 firearms, nearly $13 million in cash and assets, and a massive drug haul that included 714,707 counterfeit pills, 926 pounds of fentanyl powder, 4,870 pounds of methamphetamine, 16,466 pounds of cocaine and 36.5 pounds of heroin.

In recent months, the Trump administration has vowed to ramp up its pressure on Latin American gangs designated as terrorist organizations with a strong focus on stopping the flow of illegal narcotics.

President Trump created the “Shield of the Americas” to partner with other heads of state on efforts to end transnational drug trafficking, illegal immigration and violent activity in the Western Hemisphere.

Trump appointed former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to head the initiative.

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