Authorities focus on cartel leader \"El Ruso\" and his network in Baja California

Authorities focus on cartel leader "El Ruso" and his network in Baja California

The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned the Los Mayos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, including the leader of its armed wing, Juan Jose Ponce Felix, known as “El Ruso”.

Treasury also sanctioned five individuals and 15 companies linked to the group’s operations in the Mexican state of Baja California. The cartel controls drug trafficking routes into the U.S. and launders profits through bars, restaurants, and resorts. Treasury said Los Mayos is responsible for producing and smuggling drugs including fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine. It also accused the group of corruption, extortion, and migrant smuggling.

The Sinaloa Cartel split into factions after the arrests of its founders, Joaquin Guzman Loera (“El Chapo”) and Ismael Zambada Garcia (“El Mayo”). Treasury previously sanctioned Los Chapitos, the rival faction to Los Mayos. Fighting between the two groups has killed more than 1,000 people in Sinaloa State.