MEXICO CITY — The U.S. Treasury Department has imposed sanctions against four individuals and 11 businesses connected to Mexico’s Cartel del Noreste, which has long been accused of laundering money through the purchase and entry of horses in races along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The State Department designated the Cartel del Noreste, an offshoot of the super-violent Los Zetas drug cartel, a foreign terrorist organization in February 2025. The group in northeastern Mexico is believed to lead a vast criminal enterprise involved in drug trafficking, human smuggling, kidnapping — and horse racing.
U.S. authorities have accused Los Zetas of using horse trading to launder more than $22 million in drug money from 2008 through 2012.
The sanctions announced Tuesday are linked to Club La Molienda, a racetrack in the Mexican border city of Nuevo Laredo. U.S. authorities accuse members of the Cartel del Noreste of racing and profiting from horses they purchased in the United States.
Mexican authorities allege La Molienda partnered with Casino Centenario, a border casino, and suspended both businesses in April.
The Washington Post was unable to reach either business on Thursday.
The U.S. “action exposes Cartel del Noreste’s exploitation of the horse racing sector to launder illicit proceeds and finance cartel operations,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
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