The United States Department of the Treasury announced on Thursday that it levied sanctions against eight leaders of a Mexican cartel, according to a department press release.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto that the individuals were affiliated with the La Nueva Familia Michoacana cartel, which has been involved in drug trafficking and human smuggling operations across the southern border. According to the department, the group has trafficked fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine into the U.S.
‘Isn’t the better solution … to just shut down the border – entirely?’
“La Nueva Familia Michoacana is one of the most powerful and violent cartels in Mexico and has become a priority focus of the Mexican government in recent years,” the press release from the Treasury Department read.
In addition to the sanctions, the department issued an advisory “to highlight critical new information to help U.S. banks and other financial institutions guard against activity associated with the illicit fentanyl supply chain.”
“The advisory includes new trends and red flags that can be indicators of activity associated with the procurement of precursor chemicals and manufacturing equipment used for the synthesis of illicit fentanyl and other synthetic opioids,” the press release added.
Yellen released a statement explaining that the opioid crisis, fueled by the cartel, has “devastated communities and claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans.”
“President Biden and I are committed to using every tool we have to target illicit fentanyl and its precursor chemicals so we can disrupt these deadly supply chains,” Yellen stated. “Treasury has unique capabilities and expertise to target the financial flows of these cartels who are poisoning our communities, and going after them is a top priority for me and the Department.”
During her Thursday interview with Cavuto, the Fox News anchor pressed Yellen on the Biden administration’s open border crisis.
“Isn’t the better solution, and maybe it addresses what you’re doing here, secretary, to just shut down the border – entirely?” Cavuto asked. “Just lock it down, that’s what Donald Trump wants to do. What do you say?”
Yellen avoided directly answering the question and replied, “Well, um, you know, my concern today is with, um, fentanyl trafficking, drug trafficking, and I’d say …”
Cavuto interrupted Yellen and asked whether shutting down the southern border would solve her concerns about drug trafficking.
“Well, look, the most, the most impactful tool we have is, um, to put in place sophisticated drug detection equipment, and that’s what President Biden has done is, um, not to shut down the border entirely,” Yellen responded.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
The post US sanctions Mexican cartel leaders for drug trafficking, but Biden still won’t shut down the border appeared first on TheBlaze.
