US sanctions Mexican drug trafficking group members

WASHINGTON

The US sanctioned two high-ranking members of the Mexican drug trafficking group del Noreste (CDN), formerly known as Los Zetas, the Treasury Department said Wednesday.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said CDN, which is designated as a terror organization by the US, "exerts significant influence over the border region, especially near the Laredo/Nuevo Laredo point of entry.”

It slapped sanctions on Miguel Angel de Anda Ledezma and Ricardo Gonzalez Sauceda.

"In working toward the total elimination of cartels to Make America Safe Again, the Trump Administration will hold these terrorists accountable for their criminal activities and abhorrent acts of violence.

"CDN and its leaders have carried out a violent campaign of intimidation, kidnapping, and terrorism, threatening communities on both sides of our southern border," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in the statement.

The US will continue to cut off the cartels’ ability to obtain the drugs, money and guns that enable their "violent activities," he added.