OFAC’s action targets a drug trafficking network that has risen to prominence in transporting drug-laden trucks across the US-Mexico border
WASHINGTON — Today, the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Juan Francisco Valenzuela Valenzuela and the Valenzuela Drug Trafficking Organization (“Valenzuela DTO”). , among others, according to Executive Order (E.O.) 14059.
Originally established as a transport cell, the DTO of Valenzuela evolved into a sophisticated network that became invaluable to the leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel. Named after the family that facilitated its rise to prominence, the Valenzuela DTO has been run by the brothers Jorge Alberto, Wuendi Yuridia, and Juan Francisco Valenzuela Valenzuela in recent years. Following the arrests of Jorge Alberto and Wuendi Yuridia by US authorities in October 2020 and November 2021, respectively, Juan Francisco Valenzuela Valenzuela is the last remaining sibling involved in the Valenzuela DTO operations in Mexico . Operating under the umbrella of the Sinaloa Cartel, the Valenzuela DTO is involved in the importation and transportation of multi-ton quantities of illicit drugs, including methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl, from Mexico to the United States.
“The Valenzuela drug trafficking organization fuels the drug epidemic we are facing in the United States that has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans every year,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson. “Starving this network of resources will help deprive the Sinaloa Cartel of the critical support it needs to traffic its dangerous illicit drugs.”
In addition to the DTO of Valenzuela and Juan Francisco Valenzuela Valenzuela, two Mexican citizens and members of Valenzuela DTO, Hector Alfonso Araujo Peralta and Raul Rivas Chaires, as well as three transport companies based in Mexico, Arfel Transportadora Cool Logistic, S.A. de C.V., Servicios de Transporte Maruha, S.A. de C.V., and Transportes Refrigerados Pandas Trucking, S.A. de C.V., have also been nominated today for being involved in, or attempting to engage in, activities or transactions that have materially contributed to, or pose a significant risk of materially contributing to, the international proliferation of illicit drugs or their means of production .
Today’s action is the result of OFAC’s continued collaboration with the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Diego Task Force Group, the National Targeting Center for US Customs and Border Protection, and the Government of Mexico.
On October 19, 2021, federal drug trafficking charges were returned in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California against Juan Francisco Valenzuela Valenzuela, Hector Alfonso Araujo Peralta, and Raul Rivas Chairs. To this day, these individuals are on the run from these charges.
SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS
As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in the property of the designated individuals and entities that are in the United States or in the possession or control of United States persons shall are blocked and reported to OFAC. In addition, any entity that is owned, directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons is also blocked. To see also : The United States dominates Scotland, Canada take their first win and other Day 3 action. OFAC regulations generally prohibit all dealings by or within the United States (including transactions passing through the United States) involving any property or interest in property of persons designated or blocked by any other way.
In addition, persons who engage in certain transactions with the individuals and entities appointed today may themselves be exposed to sanctions or subject to enforcement action. In addition, unless an exception applies, any foreign financial institution that knowingly facilitates a significant transaction or provides significant financial services to any of the individuals or entities designated today may be subject to US sanctions.
Today’s action is part of a government-wide effort to combat the global threat posed by illicit drug trafficking to the United States that causes the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans each year. , as well as countless non-fatal overdoses. OFAC, in coordination with its US government partners and foreign counterparts, will continue to target and pursue accountability for foreign illicit drug actors.
The power and integrity of OFAC’s sanctions derive not only from OFAC’s ability to designate and add persons to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List), but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN List consistent with the law. The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior. For information on the process to seek removal from an OFAC list, including the SDN List, please refer to OFAC Frequently Asked Question 897. For detailed information on the process to submit a request for removal from an OFAC sanctions list, please visit here.
See more information about the individuals and entities appointed today.
See the table on the individuals and entities appointed today.
