Immigration and customs enforcement accused Mexican women of providing hand-held bullets and other weapons to the cartel.
The United States has revealed the first federal accusations against foreigners to provide material support to one of the criminal groups that President Donald Trump has designated “foreign terrorist organizations.”
On Friday, Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a statement identifying the suspect as 39-year-old Maria del Rosario Navaro Sanchez from Mexico.
The unsealed charges accused Navarro Sanchez of Mexican drug cartel Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) of carrying a hand-held bullet and helping to smuggle immigrants, firearms, money and drugs.
“Cartels like CJNG are terrorist groups responsible for the myriad lives lost in the US, Mexico and other countries that have wreaked havoc in the American community,” Attorney General Pam Bondy said in a statement.
“This announcement demonstrates the unwavering commitment by the Department of Justice to ensure boundaries and protect Americans through effective prosecution.”
The charges will be decided early in Trump’s second term inauguration to apply the “terrorist” designation to foreign criminal organizations, including gangs and drug cartels.
On his first day in office on January 20th, Trump signed an executive order declaring that “the international cartel constitutes a national security threat beyond what has been brought about by traditional organized crime.” He instructed officials to begin preparing to implement the “terrorist” designation.
By February 19, the US Federal Register cited eight Latin American criminal groups as “foreign terrorist organizations,” including Venezuelan gangster Tren de Aragua and Mala Salvattorcha (MS-13).
Mexican Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacation was also one of the first groups of the designated organization.
Since then, the Trump administration has expanded its scope and added Latin American groups to its list. For example, on May 2nd, two Haitian gangs (Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif) joined the list of foreign terrorist organizations in the United States.
These designations are deviations from the usual use of “foreign terrorist” labels, often reserved for organizations seeking specific political purposes through violence.
However, critics warn that the application can have unintended consequences, especially for civilians in vulnerable situations. “Designation of Foreign Terrorists” makes it a crime for everyone to provide material support to certain groups, but criminal gangs often force civilians for money and services as part of their fundraising activities.
“Everyone can blame them, from immigrants paying smugglers to Mexican businesses being forced to pay a “protection fee” that provides material or financial support to terrorist organizations.”
The unsealed lawsuit on Friday revealed that Navarro Sanchez was arrested on May 4th. She also had two co-defendants who faced charges of firearm trafficking and other crimes.
The Mexican government had previously confirmed the arrest of Navarro Sanchez. The ice in the statement released to the media is said to link multiple firearms and female and fentanyl packages to the case.
It also included a photo of a golden AR-15 gun known as the “El Dorado,” who reportedly “recovered from possession of Navarro Sanchez during his arrest in Mexico.”
“Providing rena bullets to designated terrorist groups – firearms, drugs and human trafficking are not just crimes,” said Todd Lyons, representative director of Ice. “It’s a direct attack on US security.”