US sanctions drug cartel-linked casinos, people in Mexico

Daniel Flatley, Bloomberg News on Nov 13, 2025

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The Trump administration and Mexico targeted gambling establishments with alleged financial links to Latin American drug cartels on Thursday, with the U.S. sanctioning several individuals and 10 casinos.

The individuals and the casinos are involved in cartel-related money laundering and other criminal activity throughout Mexico and Europe, the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement.

“The United States and Mexico are working together to combat money laundering in Mexico’s gambling sector,” said John Hurley, the Treasury official leading the office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. “Our message to those supporting the cartels is clear: You will be held accountable. We thank the Government of Mexico for its strong partnership in this effort.”

The coordinated move follows actions taken a day earlier by the Mexican government to probe connections between casinos and money-laundering networks. President Claudia Sheinbaum said the investigation was part of her government’s efforts to weaken the financial muscle of sophisticated criminal networks fueling gangland violence across Mexico.

The sanctions on Thursday from Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, which oversees the measures, target 27 individuals and entities associated with the so-called Hysa organized crime group.

The group uses its influence over restaurants and gambling sites, along with other businesses, to launder drug trafficking profits, according to Treasury. The group operates with the consent of the Sinaloa cartel, the department said.

In addition to the sanctions targeting the Hysa organization, Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network has issued a proposed rule that would cut off 10 Mexican casinos from the U.S. financial system.

Later on Thursday, Mexico’s finance ministry said in a statement that it was working with the U.S. Treasury to block the financial operations of additional companies linked to a drug cartel in order to protect the country’s financial system.