The United States on Tuesday slapped sanctions on two Mexican men accused of acting as financial operatives of the Los Zetas drug cartel.

The Department of Treasury called Jose Odilon Ramirez Perales a "powerful" financial operative responsible for controlling and laundering tens of millions of U.S. dollars in funds smuggled from the U.S. to Mexico for Los Zetas leaders Miguel Trevino Morales and Omar Trevino Morales.

Miguel Trevino Morales was captured by Mexican authorities on July 15 and faces charges of racketeering, murder and money laundering, among other offenses.

Ismael Lopez Guerrero was targeted for collecting illicit proceeds from Los Zetas operations in Mexico's border city of Nuevo Laredo, and for sending large sums of smuggled cash to Ramirez Perales for processing in Coahuila in northeastern Mexico.

Lopez Guerrero and Ramirez Perales were arrested respectively in July and October in 2012. The Treasury's move against them bars American citizens from doing business with them and freezes all of their assets under U.S. jurisdiction. The Treasury has hit with sanctions more than 1,200 persons and entities linked to 103 drug kingpins worldwide since June 2000. Endi

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)