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.
