The US Treasury has blacklisted leaders of cartel-connected human smuggling organizations. This is a move to freeze all assets and ban American citizens from doing business with them.
According to the US Treasury Department, Jumilca Sandibel Hernandez Perez was a Mexican leader, and immigrants moved from Guatemala through Mexico to the United States. The US government has named the group Lopez human smuggling organization. The group launched its business in 2017, moving thousands of immigrants to the United States. Available information refers to groups making between $144 million and $416 million between 2020 and 2023. The group will charge immigrants between $13,000 and $16,000 to illegally move immigrants across the border.
In July 2024, the Ministry of Finance blacklisted founding leader Ronaldo Galindropez Escobar and his family. This week's move was aimed at the group's Mexico-based leader.
According to US authorities, Sandi Bell Hernandez worked with the La Linea faction of the Juarez Cartel from Mexico to move immigrants to New Mexico, Arizona and California. In that statement, the Treasury allegedly the Lopez Group would purchase fraudulent Mexican documents and pay Lanea the cartel fees as part of the operation.
As reported by Breitbart Texas, La Linea is the same drug cartel that was accused of mass murders of nine US citizens in Sonora, including six children and three women. The gunman targeted and killed the group while traveling to the US-Mexico border. The incident spread international condemnation, but the Mexican government was slow to act.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist for the Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded with Cartel Chronicles Project, Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart Management of the Breitbart News Foundation. You can follow him Twitter And on Facebook. You can contact him iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Derby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles Project of the Breitbart News Foundation with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart Management. Follow him Twitter and Facebook. You can contact him bdarby@breitbart.com.
