US Treasury Sanctions Two Senior Members of One of Mexico’s Deadliest Cartels
Charlie Kirk Staff
05/22/2025

The U.S. government has imposed new financial sanctions against two high-ranking figures within Cartel del Noreste (CDN), a violent Mexico-based criminal group designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The sanctions were announced May 21 by the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.
CDN, formerly known as Los Zetas, operates in the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Nuevo León. The organization is heavily involved in narcotics trafficking, human smuggling, weapons trafficking, and other crimes across the southern U.S. border. Authorities say the group has used violent tactics—including extortion, kidnapping, and targeted killings—to exert control and intimidate both Mexican and American communities, reports ICE.
The sanctions target Miguel Angel de Anda Ledezma and Ricardo Gonzalez Sauceda. De Anda, who lives in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, has served as a key figure in acquiring firearms and ammunition for the cartel. He has arranged payments to U.S.-based straw buyers and organized the transport of weapons into Mexico, including arms later used in an attack on Mexico’s military in March 2024.
Gonzalez, also based in Nuevo Laredo, acted as CDN’s second-in-command until his arrest by Mexican authorities in February 2025. Officials say he directed an armed enforcement group and used trafficked weapons during attacks on Mexican law enforcement and military. Gonzalez was taken into custody on Feb. 3 after a fatal CDN ambush on Mexican soldiers in August 2024. He was found in possession of methamphetamine, fentanyl pills, a rifle, and a handgun.
These actions were carried out under Executive Order 14059, which targets the global drug trade, and Executive Order 13224, as amended, which focuses on terrorism and its financial backers. The investigation was led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), along with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Mexican authorities, including the Unidad de Inteligencia Financiera, also assisted.
“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,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “CDN and its leaders have carried out a violent campaign of intimidation, kidnapping, and terrorism, threatening communities on both sides of our southern border. We will continue to cut off the cartels’ ability to obtain the drugs, money, and guns that enable their violent activities.”
The U.S. State Department formally designated Cartel del Noreste as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on February 20. The group was previously sanctioned in 2009 under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act and was later identified in 2011 as a transnational criminal organization under Executive Order 13581.
CDN’s violent reach has extended into direct attacks on U.S. interests. In March 2022, the cartel attacked the U.S. Consulate in Nuevo Laredo with gunfire and grenades after the arrest of a cartel member wanted on charges including terrorism and murder. The consulate was forced to shut down for nearly a month following the incident.
Under the sanctions, all U.S.-based property and financial interests belonging to De Anda and Gonzalez are blocked. American citizens and entities are prohibited from conducting any transactions involving them unless authorized by the Treasury Department. Entities owned 50 percent or more by the sanctioned individuals are also blocked.
Financial institutions worldwide face potential secondary sanctions if they knowingly conduct significant transactions on behalf of the sanctioned individuals, as outlined in Executive Order 13224. Export-related restrictions may also apply under U.S. Commerce Department rules.
Violators of these sanctions could face civil or criminal penalties, and OFAC emphasized that liability can be enforced even without proof of intent under its strict liability standards