The United States has imposed sanctions on Cártel del Noreste (CDN)-linked casinos and senior operatives who enable the cartel’s money laundering, drug trafficking, and human smuggling activities along key border corridors, including Nuevo Laredo. These actions target the financial and logistical networks that sustain one of Mexico’s most violent criminal organizations, which the United States has designated as both a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
The Treasury department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, designated Casino Centenario, a Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas-based casino. Operated by the entity Comercializadora y Arrendadora de Mexico, S.A. de C.V., or CAMSA, Casino Centenario is utilized by CDN as a stash house for fentanyl pills and cocaine, as well as a vehicle to launder illicit proceeds and integrate them into the legitimate financial system through its gaming operations. CDN also uses the backrooms of Casino Centenario to torture and intimidate alleged enemies of the cartel.
OFAC designated CAMSA in addition to another of its operations, Diamante Casino, which has a location in Tampico, Tamaulipas and a gambling website.
In an effort to disrupt Cartel del Noreste border operations, OFAC designated Eduardo Javier Islas Valdez (Islas), also known as “Crosty,” who is in charge of CDN human smuggling operations in Nuevo Laredo.
CDN has many high-profile associates that conceal their criminality behind the appearance of their public-facing, legitimate, and otherwise seemingly honorable professions.
Juan Pablo Penilla Rodriguez (Penilla) is such an individual. As a defense attorney, he provides illegal services to CDN members beyond the scope of a normal attorney-client relationship.
Jesus Reymundo Ramos Vazquez (Ramos), better known as Raymundo Ramos, is a CDN associate that leads the CDN disinformation campaign against Mexican authorities while posing as a “human rights” activist.
OFAC designated both Penilla and Ramos for their involvement with CDN.
By degrading CDN’s revenue streams and safe havens, the United States is acting to protect lawful cross-border commerce, safeguard American border communities, and stop the trafficking of fentanyl and other illicit drugs killing Americans. The U.S. is also strengthening its work with Mexico to degrade and dismantle narco-terrorist organizations.
“As President [Donald] Trump has made clear, Treasury will use all tools to protect our nation from violent cartels looking to reign terror on innocent Americans,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “Treasury will continue to target the diverse revenue streams that cartels rely on to sustain their operations, which include trafficking fentanyl and illegal aliens into the United States.”