HomeNewsBriefUS Sanctions for Mexico Heroin Traffickers Marks Shifting Priorities
BRIEF

US Sanctions for Mexico Heroin Traffickers Marks Shifting Priorities

HEROIN / 15 APR 2016 BY MIKE LASUSA EN

The US government has sanctioned the alleged leaders of a Mexico-based heroin trafficking ring in another indication of a new emphasis on disrupting the flow of the Mexican heroin that is fueling an epidemic in opioid abuse in the United States.   

On April 14, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against Job, Ismael, and Ruben Laredo Donjuan, three brothers who allegedly run the Laredo drug trafficking organization.

Sanctions were also levied against Job’s wife, Mercedes Barrios Hernandez, and Ismael’s wife, Daniela Gomez Velazquez, as well as Antonio Marcelo Barragan, who allegedly served as a supplier of raw opium for the Laredo organization, and Ismael Reyna Felix, who is accused of handling illicit funds. OFAC named a fifth individual, Andres Laredo Estrada, but did not clarify his alleged role in the organization. (See the OFAC graphic below)

16-04-15-Mexico-Laredo

According to a federal indictment that accuses the Laredo network of importing approximately 1 ton of heroin into the United States, the group began manufacturing heroin in Mexico and smuggling it into the United States around 2008. The network used the Chicago area as a hub for distributing bulk shipments of heroin to street-level dealers across the northeastern United States.

The indictment also accuses the Laredo organization of using a variety of money laundering techniques such as funnel accounts, wire transfers, and Western Union money grams to launder at least $5 million of its heroin proceeds.

Furthermore, the indictment claims that the Laredo brothers and members of their organization used violence and threats of violence -- including murder, assault, kidnapping and arson -- to protect their operation.

A spokesperson from the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, which is handling the prosecution, told InSight Crime that all of the individuals named in the indictment are in custody with the exception of Job, Ismael and their spouses and the alleged opium supplier Barragan.

InSight Crime Analysis

The details of the Laredo operation underscore a trend previously reported by InSight Crime; Mexican heroin trafficking organizations are increasingly competing with traditionally dominant Colombian groups for heroin markets in the eastern United States. 

SEE ALSO: Coverage of Heroin

The sanctions against the Laredo organization come as US anti-drugs authorities continue to express alarm over rising rates of heroin abuse in the United States and are the latest sign that heroin trafficking is a growing priority for US government agencies. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), heroin has replaced methamphetamine as the drug of greatest concern for law enforcement due to its increasing availability around the country and a spike in deaths attributable to heroin overdoses (pdf). In addition, the White House recently described opioid abuse in the United States as an “epidemic” and proposed more than $1 billion in new funding to address the issue.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Tags

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

FEATURED / 5 OCT 2022

Along the US-Mexico border, a booming migrant smuggling industry is closely monitored by organized crime groups.

MEXICO / 16 APR 2021

After the discovery of several elaborate tunnels used to siphon fuel to two hidden warehouses, it's clear that Mexico's gas…

FEATURED / 29 APR 2021

Methamphetamine use in Mexico has grown exponentially in recent years and now rivals marijuana as the drug most cited by…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted

3 MAR 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast, where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention

24 FEB 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published its ranking of Venezuela’s ten organized crime groups to accompany the launch of the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory. Read…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime on El País Podcast

10 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-founder, Jeremy McDermott, was among experts featured in an El País podcast on the progress of Colombia’s nascent peace process.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press

3 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s Co-director Jeremy McDermott was interviewed by the Associated Press on developments in Haiti as the country continues its prolonged collapse. McDermott’s words were republished around the world,…

THE ORGANIZATION

Escaping Barrio 18

27 JAN 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…