US Treasury Sanctions 15 CDN-Linked Entities and Individuals

The United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned four individuals and 11 entities linked to the Cartel del Noreste (CDN) on October 13, 2026. The action targets a broad business network spanning construction, trucking, energy, and horse racing used to finance the criminal organization.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the move as the largest action to date against the CDN's financial infrastructure. He specifically highlighted the cartel's use of horse racing for money laundering, noting that front companies spent $16 million on U.S. quarter-horse racing and laundered over $22 million between 2008 and 2012.

Sanctioned parties include Pablo Cesar Guajardo Alvarez, a plaza boss in Nuevo Laredo, and businessman Gamaliel Garza Garcia. The Treasury also sanctioned the trucking firm Tamex following the seizure of cocaine shipments linked to the company. These measures follow reports of cartel-linked horse smuggling across the U.S.-Mexico border and the use of facilities like Club La Molienda in Tamaulipas as hubs for CDN activities.