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| Julión Álvarez |
Regional Mexican music singer Julion Alvarez returned to the United States this Friday after he was unable to visit following his listing in the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act) in 2017. He was removed from the blacklist last year.
Through social media, Alvarez shared a statement in which he announced the news, and he also expressed gratitude to his fans for supporting him throughout the process.
In August 2017, Alvarez was accused of money laundering by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. They accused him of acting as a frontman for a drug trafficking group aligned to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and its sister organization Los Cuinis.
The sanction was also extended to Mexican football star Rafael Márquez and about 20 more individuals and companies.
"It was a very long and complicated process, filled with a lot of effort, sweat, and, of course, tears. However, thanks to the support of the public, fans, and media throughout all these years, [Alvarez] managed to stay strong and [his fans] were a great source of support for him", his promotion team said.
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| Individuals sanctioned by the US government, including Alvarez, on August 2017 (Image credit: OFAC) |
Details of the sanction
In August 2017, the United States authorities imposed sanctions on Raul Flores Hernández (alias El Tio) and the Flores Drug Trafficking Organization (Flores DTO) under the Kingpin Act.
Along with Flores and his cartel, 21 Mexican individuals (including Alvarez) and 42 entities in Mexico were also designated by OFAC for their involvement in supporting the narcotics trafficking activities of Flores Hernandez and the Flores DTO, or for being owned or controlled by them, their members, or trusted associates.
This action represented the most extensive single Kingpin Act action taken against a Mexican drug cartel network by OFAC at that time.
Consequently, all assets of the designated individuals and entities, subject to U.S. jurisdiction or controlled by U.S. persons, were frozen, and U.S. persons were generally barred from conducting transactions with them.
U.S. authorities say that Flores-Hernandez was a long-time international drug kingpin. Although he operated independently, he maintained tied with multiple drug cartels in Mexico since the 1980s.
He reportedly had drug and money laundering ties with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), Sinaloa Cartel, Gulf Cartel, and the Beltran Leyva Organization (BLO). His criminal network was mostly based in Guadalajara and Mexico City, and included a vast web of family members and trusted associates.
Alvarez denied the allegations and ties to Flores Hernandez as soon as the announcement was made. But the legal battle to clear his name from the Kingpin Act's list took many years.
I am curious as to how a person like Raul Torres exists in Mexico. He most have some muscle or hes one of the best negotiators on the planet.
ReplyDeleteMost of the people who smuggle drugs across the border are "independent" smugglers not directly affiliated with the local cartel. They just pay "piso" and move it across the border. It's an angle of the drug war that is not admitted by US authorities because that would mean less funding for their agencies because they want to argue that the Mexican cartels are huge when in reality they outsource most of their smuggling.
DeleteEn Matamoros y Reynosa ay muchas familias así^
Delete8:47 hmmm interesting angle.... That kinda means its pointless to fight the drug war.
Delete8:47 I have never heard that before but it makes sense . But cartels make more money if the traffic directly than charging independents traffikers?
DeleteIt’s been like that for a while. You saw start in the late 90s in Tamaulipas when the CDG / Zetas started employing the so called “Polla”. This was an activity where people would go to the CDG locations in Mexico and take the drugs. Pay there. And then they move it on their own. This reduces the liability of the cartel plus protects them from snitching on the important details should anyone get arrested. There’s lots of people at the border who have their own routes and connections. The local cartel just supplies the drugs and that’s it. Lots of narcos have tried to go independent too after a while. Many others just cross a few times, make good cash, invest in Mexico, and then never do it again. The ones who stay in the game make the most money but also get the most attention after a while. CDG was the master of this. Although I’m sure other border areas had their equivalents. This is an understudied angle of the drug war, but like 9:27 said, it’s very common at the border. Cartels aren’t as big as the US makes it seem. Most of the drugs are smuggled by independent people or small groups of family / acquaintances.
Delete10:46 - I’m not saying the cartels don’t move themselves. They do. But they outsource a lot of it to reduce liability. It also helps them operate like a franchise. If one of their “stores” closes (i.e. a small group of independents local piso-payers get arrested), the brand can still continue without affecting their core or inner circle. They still have huge margins doing this. Eventually these independents agree to be exclusive but some don’t. It just depends. But this is a very dynamic model with lots of considerations. I know people who moved for a while as independent and then stopped once they bought enough real estate, restaurants, etc in Mexico.
Deleteall these are a lot more complex and nuanced than a single article or explanation
Deletea lot of them pay piso but collab on shipments, price, routes, customers, contacts in SA
if someone is paying Sinaloa in Maza, or CJNG in Guadalajara and then the ones who are getting paid, say hey do you have a visa at the border to move 150 kilograms? Yeah, we break it down to 10 loads, in different cars. Can we use your route? Sure.
Do you have a way to get money from Chicago to El Paso? Sure, use my guy in Chicago.
it's all interconnected and interwoven. Where some of that has broken down, is in places like Tijuana. Who do you pay? and what can they even do for you? Because they don't run the whole city. So, if the PGR gets you, maybe they can get you out. But, if it's the state police, they can't help. that kind of thing.
J, that’s some good insight. The logistics and all the other contacts. Makes my head hurt. So much room for error, in game where a whiff of error means death.
DeleteFackk las 4 letras tienen redes por ddonde quiera.. ta pesada la gente de nemesio
ReplyDeleteMichoacános control Jalisco and tell them what to do hahahaha!
Delete10:49 Michoacanos control way more than the sinaloas ever could
DeleteMichoacán runs the show and kills them Sinaloas!
DeleteSemper Fi
Michoacanos>>Wagner
DeleteMichoacanos control more than British empire ever did ,
DeleteWagner suck.
DeleteAre Julion Alvarez and Rafa Marquez cousins? They both share the Alvarez last name.
ReplyDeleteNot that I'm aware of. I checked and there's no mention of it anywhere. Probably just a coincidence; Alvarez is a fairly common surname.
DeleteThey're not related.
DeleteRafa from michoacan julion from Oaxaca
DeleteEl nemesio si es michoacano eso pero Antes le hacian los mandados a la gente de sinaloa y jalisco los milenios michoacanos culos que los sacaron se su propio estado Antes de que muriera el nacho coronel y cLlera preso el Molca que era de zapopan
ReplyDeleteCuales mandados? Tenian su propio cartel(Cartel Del Milenio). Nomas usaron al Nacho porque no tienan la gente para guerra con los Zetas.
DeleteNo sabes la historia de Lobo Valencia y los Cuinis? Hasta buey.
Connor eres de Jalisco?
DeleteMichoacán manda y es papa de los de Jalisco!!!!!!
Connor es de Chiapas.
DeleteConnor es de Haiti.
DeleteConnor es de Irlanda, donde por sierto hacen Tela de jare Irlandesa
DeleteConnor es de Compton.
Delete