US Treasury sanctions target 15 front companies in Chihuahua tied to drug cartels

Over the past two decades the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has placed 15 Mexican firms from the state of Chihuahua on its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list. The entities, presented as legitimate businesses such as food outlets, logistics firms and real‑estate companies, were identified as front operations for major drug‑trafficking groups including the Sinaloa, Juárez and Jalisco New Generation cartels. Recent designations in 2024 added the snack chain Gorditos Chiwas and the private‑security firm Grupo Especial Mamba Negra, linked to the “Los Chapitos” faction of the Sinaloa cartel.

Chihuahua ranks seventh nationwide in the Treasury’s database for the number of sanctioned individuals and companies, with 32 entries (5.3 % of the national total). Most designations lack a specific municipality, while the city of Chihuahua, Hidalgo del Parral and Delicias each have three identified cases. The majority of sanctions fall under the Kingpin Act (SDNTK) program, with 386 nationwide designations, followed by the ILLICITDRUGS‑EO14059 program targeting precursor chemicals and fentanyl-related activities.