(NewsNation) — The notorious Cartel del Noreste was using the concerts of an associated rapper by the name of “El Makabelico” to launder the group’s ill-gotten gains, the Treasury Department announced Wednesday.
The cartel took 50% of the royalties from concerts streamed online, authorities said. El Makabelico, whose real name is Richardo Hernandez Medrano, is a popular narco-rapper in Mexico.
The department stated that cartels need to launder money through legitimate businesses to hide their earnings from human and drug trafficking.
The cartel, which was formerly known as Los Zetas, is considered one of the most violent drug trafficking organizations in Mexico and has been designated by the Trump administration as a foreign terrorist organization. Treasury Department officials said the cartel exerts significant influence over the U.S.-Mexico border, specifically at the Laredo, Texas, port of entry.
Medrano and three other high-ranking Cartel del Noreste members were sanctioned by the Treasury Department in connection with the concert money laundering scheme.
Abdon Frederico Rodriguez Garcia, Antonio Romero Sanchez and Francisco Daniel Esqueda Nieto are the three high-ranking members sanctioned by Treasury officials. They played key roles in the cartel’s “horrific crimes,” including assassinations, beheadings, drug trafficking, extortion and money laundering, according to the agency.
Rodriguez was identified as the second-in-command in the cartel. Known also as “Cucho,” Rodriguez is alleged to be involved in drug trafficking, money laundering, fuel theft and extortion on behalf of the cartel.
Rodriguez was previously arrested in 2013 along with former CDN leader Miguel Trevino Morales, who was also known as “Z-40” and had been a member of the cartel since the group operated as Los Zetas.
Romero is considered a high-ranking member and has led cartel operations in Mexican border cities on behalf of the organization, the Treasury Department said. Also known as “Romeo,” Romero is a former police officer from Tamaulipas and has been linked to several assassinations, beheadings and the attempted assassination of a local government official earlier this year, officials said.
Esqueda, also known as “Franky Esqueda,” took over the cartel’s tactical operations in Nuevo Laredo after the arrest of CDN leaders earlier this year, according to federal authorities.
Esqueda is responsible for the assault on a member of Mexico’s Army, Treasury officials said Wednesday.
“Under President Trump, the Treasury Department will continue to be relentless in its effort to Put America First by targeting terrorist drug cartels,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement issued by the agency. “Those cartels poison Americans with fentanyl and conduct human trafficking operations along our southwest border.
Bessent said the agency, along with federal law enforcement — including Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration — is committed to a “full-frontal assault” on the cartels and will target the leadership and revenue streams that enable criminal activity.