US Treasury Sanctions Members of Mexican Cartel ‘Los Zetas,’ Including Rapper El Makabelico

The U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on Aug. 6 against three high-ranking members and a prominent associate of the Mexican Cartel del Noreste, known as “Los Zetas,” based in Mexico.

The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced in a statement that it has sanctioned four key individuals linked to the Cartel del Noreste (CDN).

They are identified as Abdón Federico Rodríguez García, second-in-command of the CDN; Antonio Romero Sánchez (Romero), a high-ranking member of the CDN; Francisco Daniel Esqueda Nieto (Esqueda), head of tactical operations for the CDN; and Ricardo Hernández Medrano, known by his stage names El Makabelico or Comando Exclusivo, a popular rapper and a CDN associate.

According to OFAC, the designated individuals have been facilitating a widespread campaign of violence and narco-terrorism that includes crimes such as murder, beheading, drug trafficking, extortion, and money laundering.

The action is the result of a coordinated operation with agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Antonio and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

“Treasury, in close coordination with our law enforcement partners, is committed to a full-frontal assault on the cartels, targeting the leadership and revenue streams that enable their horrific crimes,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in the Aug. 6 statement.

“Under President Trump, the Treasury Department will continue to be relentless in its effort to put America First by targeting terrorist drug cartels. These cartels poison Americans with fentanyl and conduct human smuggling operations along our southwest border.”

The CDN is one of Mexico’s most violent drug trafficking organizations. On Jan. 20, it was designated by the United States as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) due to its significant influence on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, specifically at the port of entry in Laredo, Texas.

“CDN’s influence in the Mexican border cities of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, and Piedras Negras, Coahuila, has affected communities on both sides of the border, and the cartel’s role in fentanyl trafficking and human smuggling into the United States puts American lives at risk,” OFAC said in the statement.

The CDN is also involved in human trafficking, arms trafficking, drug trafficking, kidnapping for ransom, and other illicit activities, and it uses violence to exert its criminal control, including attacks against Mexican government officials, according to OFAC.

OFAC detailed that the CDN allegedly uses commercial passenger buses to smuggle drugs into the United States and also engages in large-scale human trafficking to the United States, typically through kidnapping and exploitation of migrants for extortion or forced labor.

The CDN also allegedly operates drug distribution centers and has partners, facilitators, and affiliates throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, and the Midwest.

OFAC ordered the freezing of all assets and interests in assets of the designated individuals located in the United States or the possession or control of U.S. citizens, and these must be reported to OFAC. It also blocked any entity that is owned, directly or indirectly, individually or collectively, 50 percent or more, by one or more designated individuals, unless otherwise authorized by OFAC.

This is the second OFAC action targeting CDN leaders and affiliates in the past three months. On May 21, 2025, OFAC issued sanctions against Miguel Ángel de Anda Ledezma and Ricardo González Sauceda (González), two high-ranking CDN members and arms traffickers.