Mexico sends water to Texas under the shadow of threats and drought

US sanctions against huachicol network

The United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned two Mexicans and their nine companies for their links to a fuel smuggling network of the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (CJNG). They are Oscar Guillermo Juraidini Silva, 41 years old, and J. Refugio Ruiz Villagómez, 65.

The practice known as huachicol fiscal consists of introducing refined fuel into Mexico by evading taxes, declaring it as another commodity. The US alert indicates that in the last year, 160 suspicious activities worth 7 billion dollars were recorded.

Network details

Juraidini Silva is described as “a key operator” and “the mastermind” behind the cartel’s financial operations. He is accused of creating shell companies and falsifying customs documents to traffic fuel and evade IEPS, generating tens of millions of dollars annually for the organization. Ruiz Villagómez, for his part, “is known for smuggling fuel from the United States to Mexico,” paying fees to the cartels to clear customs.

“Mexican cartels, including Jalisco Nueva Generación and Sinaloa, use Mexican companies with permits to buy fuel from sellers in the United States, who take advantage of their relationships with refineries to divert it to networks of ghost companies,” the alert describes.

The sanctions immobilize all assets, accounts and interests under US jurisdiction of these people and companies such as Centro Cambiario La Peseta, OJ Living Trust and Jomadi Logistics & Cargo. The latter was already investigated in 2020 for violating sanctions against PDVSA.

Impact on the economy

The network operates mainly in customs in Reynosa, Matamoros and Nuevo Laredo. FinCEN, the US financial watchdog network, issued guidelines for banks to identify suspicious activity. US companies “launder illegal funds” by purchasing luxury cars, jewelry and real estate. In Mexico, cartels use that money for cash payments to “political campaigns and media outlets,” according to the document.

“Institutions have to be vigilant, since the cartels, their huachicoleros and financiers adapt to the efforts of the law and regulators,” the document states.

After the arrest of the Jensen family in April 2025, smuggling of Mexican crude oil into the United States decreased. But the reverse flow continues: FinCEN has received 160 reports of suspicious activities for $7 billion originating in Texas and Florida.

In Huehuetoca, State of Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum led the ceremony for the seventh anniversary of the National Guard, created in 2019.

Sheinbaum reported that the corporation has 125 thousand elements deployed in 53 coordinations and 590 barracks built by the Army. He highlighted that intentional homicide decreased 46% since October 2024, as part of the National Security Strategy.

Operating figures

Commander Guillermo Briseño Lobera explained that in the current six-year term, 45 thousand people have been arrested for crimes, 23 thousand firearms have been seized, more than 213 tons of drugs have been seized and two thousand clandestine laboratories have been dismantled.

He announced that Sedena is promoting a plan to reach 170,000 troops and 886 facilities by the end of the six-year term.

The president presented decorations to the personnel outstanding in security, training and confiscations, with special recognition to the elements of the Teotihuacan archaeological zone for their performance last April.

Juanita Luna, mother of one of the victims of the ABC Daycare, responded to the statements of President Claudia Sheinbaum. He clarified that the judicial file has never been closed and demanded that the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) continue the investigations.

The recent resolution of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) did not order reopening the case, Luna said. What it ruled is that crimes committed against minors are imprescriptible. Therefore, those responsible for manslaughter still need to be prosecuted.

Gabriel Alvarado Serrano, legal representative of the Manos Unidas por Nuestros Niño collective, explained that this judicial criterion strengthens the demand for justice. It marks a historical precedent for Mexican children, he noted.

Now it is up to the FGR to accelerate the current investigation files, the lawyer warned. If new evidence emerges, other public servants who were not originally included may be called to account regardless of the time that has passed.

During her morning conference, President Sheinbaum stated that the Prosecutor’s Office must reach the ultimate consequences in this case. He promised to deliver all the information required by the IMSS.

Sheinbaum also pointed out that the surrogate daycare model implemented during Felipe Calderón’s six-year term was marked by corruption, nepotism and serious security deficiencies. These failures led to the tragedy that claimed the lives of 49 minors in 2009.