In addition to El Tanque, OFAC also designated his family members, who are linked, directly or indirectly, to CJNG fuel theft.
Often mistaken for one another, El Tanque is the younger brother of senior CJNG member Cesar Cazarin Molina (a.k.a. “Tornado”). Both El Tanque and Tornado have been identified as using the alias “Victor Hugo Delgado Renteria.” Like El Tanque, Tornado was a founding member of CJNG and is close friends with El Mencho. Involved in homicide and recognized as a member of the armed wing of CJNG, Tornado was arrested in 2013 but remains involved in CJNG activities in Veracruz from within prison. El Tanque shares his fuel theft profits with Tornado.
El Tanque’s father-in-law, Domingo Medina Diaz (a.k.a. El Mingo), is also known to be a member of the armed wing of CJNG and has been involved in Mexico’s fuel industry since the late 1980s. Like Tornado, El Mingo is also incarcerated in Mexico yet remains active in CJNG and receives shares of fuel profits from El Tanque.
Jahir Cazarin Ramos, nephew to El Tanque and son of Tornado, acts as a front person or officer in fuel-related companies in El Tanque’s network. Additionally, OFAC designated El Tanque’s associates who, directly or indirectly, play important roles in his fuel theft activities which benefit CJNG.
Executive Order 14059 of December 15, 2021 Imposing Sanctions on Foreign Persons Involved in the Global Illicit Drug Trade
Regime
OFAC-horizontal
Target State
Drugs
Measures
Blocking Property, Suspending Entry
Official Information
President Biden signed a new Executive Order (E.O.) to modernize the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s sanctions authorities used to combat the illicit drug trade. This E.O. will provide the Treasury Department with new tools to tackle changes in the global illicit drug trade that substantially contributed to over 100,000 American overdose deaths in the 12-month period ending in April 2021.
This E.O. enhances the Department of Treasury’s authorities to target any foreign person engaged in drug trafficking activities, regardless of whether they are linked to a specific kingpin or cartel. It further enables Treasury to sanction foreign persons who knowingly receive property that constitutes, or is derived from, proceeds of illicit drug trafficking activities.
Under the new E.O., “Imposing Sanctions on Foreign Persons Involved in the Global Illicit Drug Trade,” the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today designated 25 actors (10 individuals and 15 entities) in four countries for having engaged in, or attempted to engage in, activities or transactions that have materially contributed to, or pose a significant risk of materially contributing to, the international proliferation of illicit drugs or their means of production.
“The illicit drug trade threatens our national security, economy, communities, and families,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson. “More than 100,000 Americans died in just twelve months from a drug overdose, a record 28 percent increase that was driven largely by synthetic opioids, particularly fentanyl. Using President Biden’s new E.O., Treasury will deploy its sanctions authority with greater speed, power, and effect across the entire illicit drug ecosystem, especially those who profit from the death and misery of the opioid epidemic. We will continue working closely with our partners to reduce threats from these groups and disrupt their business models, including by stopping them from using the U.S. financial system.”
Today’s action targets individuals and drug trafficking organizations (DTO) based in Brazil, China, Colombia, and Mexico. Those sanctioned include individuals who traffic fentanyl, and its precursor chemicals, methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin, as well as organizations that pose the greatest drug threat to the United States.
The new E.O. builds upon Treasury’s previous narcotics sanctions authorities, specifically E.O. 12978 (1995) and the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act) (1999). Treasury designated eight individuals and entities under the new E.O. and is also applying the expanded tools of this authority to designate 17 individuals and entities previously sanctioned under other authorities.
