La Linea began as an armed wing of the Juarez Cartel intended to help the drug trafficking organization defend its border territories in and around Ciudad Juarez in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico. Today, La Linea operates in Ciudad Juarez, where it has access to drug trafficking and human smuggling routes across the U.S.-Mexico border. La Linea taxes other Mexican drug trafficking organizations to move their merchandise through the Juarez Valley and generates other revenue via synthetic drug trafficking, illegal logging, and car theft in Chihuahua, Mexico. Associates of La Linea are also involved in human trafficking across the United States. In November 2019, La Linea members murdered nine American citizens, including six children, in the Mexican state of Sonora. In addition, La Linea and the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) have been working together since September 2023, with CJNG serving as La Linea’s source-of-supply for cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl. In 2004, the President identified the Juarez Cartel as a significant foreign narcotics trafficker pursuant to the Kingpin Act. On December 15, 2021, OFAC also designated the Juarez Cartel pursuant to E.O. 14059, at which time La Linea was added as an alias of the Juarez Cartel.
On June 6, 2003, OFAC issued the Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations, 31 CFR part 594 (68 FR 34196, June 6, 2003 (“the Regulations”), to implement Executive Order (E.O.) 13224 of September 23, 2001, “Blocking Property and Prohibiting Transactions With Persons Who Commit, Threaten To Commit, or Support Terrorism” (66 FR 49079, September 25, 2001). OFAC has amended the Regulations on several occasions.
On September 9, 2019, the President, invoking the authority of, inter alia, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701–1706) (IEEPA) and the United Nations Participation Act (22 U.S.C. 287c) (UNPA), issued E.O. 13886, “Modernizing Sanctions To Combat Terrorism” (84 FR 48041, September 12, 2019), effective September 10, 2019. In E.O. 13886, the President, finding it necessary to consolidate and enhance sanctions to combat acts of terrorism and threats of terrorism by foreign terrorists, terminated the national emergency declared in E.O. 12947 of January 23, 1995, “Prohibiting Transactions With Terrorists Who Threaten To Disrupt the Middle East Peace Process” (60 FR 5079, January 25, 1995), and revoked E.O. 12947, as amended by E.O. 13099 of August 20, 1998, “Prohibiting Transactions With Terrorists Who Threaten To Disrupt the Middle East Peace Process” (63 FR 45167, August 25, 1998). In addition, the President amended E.O. 13224, in order to build upon initial steps taken in E.O. 12947, to further strengthen and consolidate sanctions to combat the continuing threat posed by international terrorism, and in order to take additional steps to deal with the national emergency declared in E.O. 13224, with respect to the continuing and immediate threat of grave acts of terrorism and threats of terrorism committed by foreign terrorists, which include acts of terrorism that threaten the Middle East peace process.
Section 1 of E.O. 13886 replaces in its entirety section 1 of E.O. 13224, which had been amended by a number of prior Executive orders (E.O. 13224, as amended by all such authorities, is referred to herein as “amended E.O. 13224”), but does not amend the Annex to E.O. 13224, which was previously amended by E.O. 13268 of July 2, 2002, “Termination of Emergency With Respect to the Taliban and Amendment of Executive Order 13224 of September 23, 2001” (67 FR 44751, July 3, 2002) (“amended Annex to E.O. 13224”).
