In short
- People and entities tied to the trafficking of fentanyl had been added to the OFAC sanctions checklist.
- Some members allegedly turned money into crypto earlier than sending it to the Sinaloa Cartel.
- Six Ethereum addresses related to the people had been additionally added to the sanctions checklist.
The U.S. Treasury added people and entities from two separate networks tied to the Sinaloa Cartel and its crypto-facilitated fentanyl trafficking operations, it introduced on Wednesday.
The sanctions stem from a coordinated effort led by the Homeland Safety Activity Pressure (HSTF) with assist from the Drug Enforcement Company (DEA).
“As President Trump has made clear, this administration won’t enable narco-terrorists to flood our borders with poison,” Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent stated in an announcement. “Treasury will proceed to focus on terrorist cartels and their fentanyl trafficking networks to guard our communities and hold America secure.”
The press launch highlights the sanctioning of community head Armando de Jesus Ojeda Aviles, who allegedly facilitated the conversion of money into cryptocurrency that later was transferred to the Sinaloa Cartel. His affiliate, Jesus Alonso Aispuro Felix, was additionally added to the sanctions checklist and is allegedly chargeable for equally transferring proceeds from the drug commerce through the blockchain.
The sanctions checklist additions additionally embrace six Ethereum community addresses, 5 of that are related to Ojeda Aviles. Of the six addresses, 5 have been inactive for years, nonetheless an ETH tackle ending in “e27cb” was energetic on April 27, sending $894 value of Tether’s dollar-backed stablecoin, USDT, after not transacting for greater than a 12 months.
The sanctions towards the members and entities are pursuant to 2 govt orders concentrating on illicit drug manufacturing and terrorists and their supporters.
“The violent Sinaloa Cartel is a U.S.-designated International Terrorist Group (FTO) chargeable for a good portion of the illicit fentanyl trafficked into the US that kills tens of hundreds of People annually,” the Treasury wrote.
Final July, a Division of Justice report indicated that the DEA had seized greater than $10 million in crypto property from the Sinaloa Cartel in 2025.
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