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US authorities have targeted two Mexican casinos tied to Cartel del Noreste, adding gaming venues to a sanctions campaign that already hit leadership and affiliates of the group.
Good to Know
The US Treasury, through the Office of Foreign Assets Control, sanctioned Casino Centenario and Diamante Casino, both tied to Cartel del Noreste. Treasury also designated Comercializadora y Arrendadora de Mexico, S.A. de C.V., known as CAMSA, which operates both properties. One of the casinos sits only two miles from the US border.
Casino Centenario, based in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, was far more than a laundering front, according to OFAC. Treasury said CDN used the property to store fentanyl pills and cocaine, wash illicit proceeds through legitimate gaming activity, and use backrooms to torture and intimidate perceived enemies. CDN members also frequented the venue on a regular basis.
Diamante Casino, located in Tampico, Tamaulipas, also fell under the action. The property runs gambling website diamantecasino.com.mx, tying the case not only to land based gaming but also to online casino activity.
That gives the action wider industry weight. For regulators, compliance teams, gaming operators, and payment providers, the case shows how quickly casino operations can become part of sanctions risk, anti money laundering review, and cross border enforcement.
CDN, formerly known as Los Zetas, has operated for years in Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Nuevo León. Treasury linked the group to fentanyl trafficking, methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana, cocaine, human smuggling, kidnapping, extortion, and political corruption. In February 2025, the United States designated CDN as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. Earlier labels already identified the group as a specially designated foreign narcotics trafficker and transnational criminal organization.
Nuevo Laredo remains central to that network. Control there gives CDN leverage over drug trafficking and human smuggling routes into the United States through the busiest inland trade crossing on the southern border. Treasury said the group uses that position to extort businesses and shipments while bribing politicians and journalists.
Three individuals were designated alongside the casino entities. Eduardo Javier Islas Valdez, known as “Crosty,” allegedly oversees human smuggling in Nuevo Laredo and controls cash stash houses in the city. Juan Pablo Penilla Rodriguez, a defense attorney, allegedly acts as an intermediary for imprisoned CDN co founder Miguel Angel Trevino Morales. Jesus Reymundo Ramos Vazquez, known publicly as Raymundo Ramos, allegedly runs disinformation operations while presenting himself as a human rights activist.
The sanctions block all property and interests in property of the named persons and entities that fall within the United States or under control of US persons. Any entity owned 50% or more by a blocked person also falls under the restrictions. OFAC also issued a general license to let US persons wind down existing transactions involving CAMSA, Casino Centenario, and Diamante Casino.
“Treasury will use all tools to protect our nation from violent cartels looking to reign terror on innocent Americans,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. “Treasury will continue to target the diverse revenue streams that cartels rely on to sustain their operations.”