The United States has imposed new sanctions on five leaders of Mexico’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), including cartel boss Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes and Ricardo Ruiz, who is the primary suspect in the recent killing of TikTok influencer Valeria Márquez.

The sanctions were announced by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which cited Ruiz’s alleged role in the May 13 murder of Márquez while she was live-streaming on TikTok. Ruiz has been tied to a series of high-profile killings in Mexico over the past decade.

OFAC’s designation means that all assets and property interests of the five sanctioned individuals within the United States — or under the control of U.S. persons — are now frozen and must be reported to the agency. It also prohibits U.S. citizens and entities from engaging in any transactions with them.

The CJNG is one of Mexico’s most powerful and violent criminal organizations, accused of trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and other drugs into the U.S. Authorities say the group also controls the strategic port of Manzanillo in Colima, a major hub for importing fentanyl precursors and other illicit substances.

“CJNG’s reign of terror across Mexico and its trafficking of fentanyl into the United States has destroyed countless innocent lives,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a press release.

In addition to “El Mencho” and Ruiz, the sanctions target three other top cartel figures:

  • Julio Alberto Castillo, a senior CJNG operative and Oseguera’s son-in-law, widely seen as a possible successor to the cartel’s leadership

  • Audias Flores, a regional commander responsible for meth production in Zacatecas, Guerrero, Nayarit, Jalisco, and Michoacán; a reward of up to US $5 million is being offered for information leading to his arrest or conviction

  • Gonzalo Mendoza, alleged to run a CJNG recruitment camp known as Izaguirre Ranch in Teuchitlán, Jalisco, and believed to be behind the murder of multiple Mexican law enforcement officers

A reward of up to US $15 million remains in place for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Oseguera.

OFAC’s actions are part of ongoing U.S. efforts to disrupt the operations and finances of Mexico’s most dangerous criminal organization.