US imposes sanctions on Sinaloa Cartel leadership and several Mexican public officials for posing a threat to national security

The Trump administration imposed a new round of sanctions against several members of the leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel terrorist organization and against several entities and Mexican public officials for threatening national security in both the United States and Mexico through violence and drug trafficking.

In a statement, the Department of State reported that among the sanctioned terrorists is the current leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, Ismael Zambada Sicairos, also known as Mayito Flaco.

In total, 21 individuals and 25 entities linked to the Sinaloa Cartel were sanctioned, including "financial facilitators and corrupt Mexican officials" who allow the terrorist organization to "operate with impunity along the U.S.-Mexico border."

"This action underscores the Trump Administration’s commitment to dismantling the Sinaloa Cartel’s operational and political infrastructure in Mexico, disrupting the networks that fuel fentanyl trafficking, violence, and corruption, and threaten communities on both sides of the border," the State Department emphasized.

The Sinaloa Cartel was designated a "narco-terrorist organization" by the Trump Administration in February 2025. Since then, it has been sanctioned on several occasions.