The Treasury Department designated multiple individuals and entities tied to Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, targeting the organization's new leadership structure and support networks following a power struggle that erupted after the 2024 arrest of longtime co-founder Ismael Zambada García, known as El Mayo.
Ismael Zambada Sicairos, also known as Mayito Flaco and described as El Mayo's son, has risen to head the Los Mayos faction of the cartel. A federal grand jury in California indicted Mayito Flaco in July 2014 on drug trafficking and money laundering charges alongside other cartel leaders. He remains a fugitive in Mexico and is accused of directing the group's drug trafficking, murder, extortion, corruption, and kidnapping operations.
El Mayo's July 2024 arrest set off a power struggle within the cartel between its two main factions, Los Mayos and Los Chapitos, resulting in violence across Sinaloa and other Mexican states as the groups battled for territory and influence.
Treasury also designated individuals and companies accused of providing support to the cartel, including money launderers and security operatives. The action focused particularly on operations in the Tijuana and Mexicali border plazas, which control strategic drug trafficking routes to the United States. One target is Ilia Elizabeth Felix Rivera, identified as a financial facilitator who operated a Tijuana-based money exchange allegedly used to collect and launder narcotics proceeds from the United States.
The designations block any property or interests located in the United States or controlled by U.S. persons. Treasury said the action is part of a broader effort under the Trump administration's cartel elimination agenda. Since the beginning of 2025, Treasury has taken more than 30 actions targeting over 400 individuals and entities connected to criminal groups, the department said.