The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday announced sanctions against a human rights activist in Mexico, claiming he is in league with a drug cartel.
The department issued a press release saying it “sanctioned six targets involved in money laundering and cash smuggling enterprise operated by Cartel del Noreste (CDN).”
From Reuters:
The U.S. on Tuesday imposed sanctions on a well-known human rights activist in Mexico who has for years levied charges of human rights abuses against the country's Armed Forces, alleging he worked on behalf of a powerful drug cartel.
The U.S. Treasury Department accused Raymundo Ramos, president of the Committee for Human Rights of Nuevo Laredo, of "posing as a 'human rights' activist" for more than a decade in order to fabricate false accusations against the Army and protect members of the powerful Cartel of the Northeast (CDN).
"On the CDN payroll, Ramos engages in these activities with the goal of boosting the public opinion of CDN and discrediting Mexican authorities’ law enforcement initiatives against the cartel," the Treasury Department said in a statement.
Washington's move blocks any assets Ramos might have in the United States and bars U.S. persons from working with him.
The press release noted that the sanctions are targeting several individuals tied to cartel activity.
Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned six targets involved in a money laundering and cash smuggling enterprise operated by Cartel del Noreste (CDN), one of Mexico’s most violent drug trafficking organizations. CDN is a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) that exerts significant influence along the U.S.-Mexico border near Laredo, Texas, the busiest land port of entry on the southern border. The three individuals designated today play central roles in advancing CDN’s criminal dominance over the Nuevo Laredo plaza in Tamaulipas, Mexico, supporting the cartel’s broader illicit operations, which include fentanyl trafficking, human smuggling, money laundering, and extortion. Today’s action also targets two CDN-affiliated casinos, one of which is located just two miles from the U.S. border.
“As President Trump has made clear, Treasury will use all tools to protect our nation from violent cartels looking to reign terror on innocent Americans,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “Treasury will continue to target the diverse revenue streams that cartels rely on to sustain their operations, which include trafficking fentanyl and illegal aliens into the United States.”
The Treasury Department claimed, “Under the guise of human rights activism, Ramos solely advocates for violent cartel members by filing false complaints against the Mexican military, paying individuals to attend protests, and protecting the reputations of fallen or arrested CDN members.” The announcement said Ramos is on the cartel’s payroll.
Ramos is the president of the Committee for Human Rights of Nuevo Laredo and a prominent activist who has routinely criticized the Mexican government and military. He has advocated for accountability in cases in which soldiers in Nuevo Laredo killed civilians, according to The Associated Press. He documented military and police abuses in the city for years.
However, U.S. officials allege that Ramos was not only a human rights activist but also assisted the cartel’s disinformation efforts against the Mexican government. However, Ramos claims the Mexican government orchestrated the allegations about his cartel activities and denied being a part of the organization.