The US Treasury Department has accused the cartels of exploiting ‘otherwise legitimate commerce’ [File: Patrick Semansky/AP Photo]The United States Treasury Department has revealed it is sanctioning two Mexican drug cartels, Carteles Unidos and Los Viagras, and seven affiliated individuals on allegations of “terrorism”.The Treasury Department announced the sanctions on Thursday. Separately, the Justice Department stated it was charging five high-ranking members of Carteles Unidos with crimes related to drug trafficking.“These actions further President Donald Trump’s directive to completely eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations threatening the American people,” the Treasury said in a social media post.In a statement, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent explained that the sanctions would help the US government hamstring the cartel’s ability to generate revenue, including through cross-border commerce.“Today’s sanctions action draws further attention to the diverse, insidious ways the cartels engage in violent activities and exploit otherwise legitimate commerce,” Bessent said.Both Carteles Unidos and Los Viagras are said to be active in the Mexican state of Michoacan, where the Treasury said that they use funds from drug trafficking to hire mercenaries, bribe officials and buy weapons.Thursday’s sanctions will freeze any US-based assets the targeted individuals may have, and people in the US are prohibited from making transactions with them.The Trump administration has pledged to take a hard line against criminal groups and those involved in drug trafficking, including by labelling some Latin American criminal networks as “foreign terrorist organisations”. Advertisement Experts, however, have questioned the efficacy of such steps and raised fears that they could backfire, penalising nonprofits …
