13 Sinaloa Cartel Members Sanctioned by US for Fentanyl Trafficking Including Nogales Plaza Boss 'Cacayo'

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The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury sanctioned the head of the Sinaloa Cartel in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, Juan Carlos Morgan Huerta, also known as "Cacayo," and 12 other members of that group accused of trafficking various drugs, including fentanyl.

"Cacayo" uses tractor-trailers, among other concealment methods, to transport drugs across the border. In April 2021, Morgan Huerta was formally charged in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia with several counts of drug trafficking. Morgan Huerta manages the operations of the Sinaloa Cartel, in Nogales for Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, and supervises drug trafficking, such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine. and fentanyl, from Mexico to the United States.

Sanctioned Members

Family members performed other key functions, such as managing transportation, and logistics, negotiating trade deals, and laundering illicit drug proceeds. These are José Arnoldo Morgan Huerta, "Chachio,"  José Luis Morgan Huerta, "El Gordo,"  Miguel Ángel Morgan Huerta, and Martín Morgan Huerta, as well as his uncle, Oscar Murillo Morga, "Chino."

According to the United States government, each plays a critical role in the organization. For example, as a former agent, Miguel Ángel Morgan Huerta uses his connections to bribe authorities, while Martín Morgan Huerta, and Oscar Murillo Morgan, maintain sources of supply of illicit drugs.

Other members of the organization sanctioned are David Alonso Chavarin Preciado, who oversees drug trafficking operations in Nogales for his brother-in-law Morgan Huerta, as well as Jesús Francisco Camacho Porchas, Oscar Enrique Moreno Orozco and Ramiro Martín Romero Wirichaga, all of Mexican nationality. 

Additionally, Cristian Julián Meneses Ospina, of Colombian nationality, Sergio Isaías Hernández Mazón, and Álvaro Ramos Acosta.

Sanctioned Companies

OFAC also designated four Mexican companies, including a restaurant based in Nogales, Sonora, called Conceptos Gastronomicos de Sonora (also known as “Habanero's Steak & Wings”), and a mining company, Morgan Golden Mining, which is based in Hermosillo, Sonora. 

The other two designated businesses include a stone trading company, Comercializadora Villba Stone, and an import/export company, Exportadora del Campos Ramos Acosta.

Comercializadora Villba Stone specializes in cutting, shaping, and finishing stone and sales.

The Nogales, Sonora-based restaurant Habanero's Resturante Steak Wings was sanctioned as it is owned by Juan Carlos Morgan Huerta himself.

The last two companies sanctioned include Morgan Golden Mining based in Hermosillo, Sonora, and a wholesale trading/exporting company Exportadora del Campo Ramos Acosta.

Sources US Treasury, OFAC, Milenio