Latest Narco Sanctions Hit Masked Rapper El Makabelico

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions Wednesday targeting key figures in the Mexico-based Cartel del Noreste (CDN), including three senior leaders and a high-profile rap artist.

Designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization earlier this year, CDN is considered one of Mexico’s most brutal criminal syndicates, with deep influence along the U.S.-Mexico border and a role in fentanyl trafficking, human smuggling, and assassinations, OFAC said in a statement announcing the sanctions action.

OFAC identified the individuals blacklisted on Wednesday as CDN’s second-in-command Abdon Federico “Cucho” Rodriguez Garcia, enforcer Antonio “Romeo” Romero Sanchez, and tactical chief Francisco “Franky de la Joya” Esqueda Nieto — all of whom the agency says have long histories with the cartel dating back to its origins as Los Zetas.

OFAC also sanctioned Ricardo Hernandez Medrano, a.k.a. El Makabelico, a controversial narco-rapper whose music career has allegedly served as a money laundering tool for CDN. U.S. officials say half of Hernandez’s streaming royalties are funneled directly to the cartel.

As of Wednesday afternoon, El Makabelico's music — which includes songs with titles such as 'Soy Narcotraficante' and 'Equipado Pa la Guerra'  —  was still available on streaming platforms including Spotify and Apple Music for listeners in the U.S. A representative for Spotify told The Export Practitioner the company was reviewing the designation in order to comply with its legal obligations. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment 

El Makabelico is signed to California-based Del Records. Its CEO, Angel Del Villar, is also El Makabelico's manager. In March, Del Villar was found guilty of 10 counts of violating the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act for working with a concert promoter linked to the cartel. The music executive is scheduled to be sentenced next week. On Friday, federal prosecutors asked a judge to send him to prison for 6.5 years.

Wednesday's designations were made under Executive Orders 14059 and 13224, which target global narcotics traffickers and terrorism supporters. The move comes less than three months after a similar OFAC action against other CDN leaders.

In recent months, CDN’s operations have expanded across the U.S., with drug hubs in Texas and the Midwest, and trafficking networks uncovered as far as South Carolina, where authorities recently arrested 72 people at a CDN-run nightclub.

“Treasury is committed to a full-frontal assault on the cartels,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, emphasizing the administration’s ongoing crackdown on narco-terrorism.

Update: This story has been updated with comment from Spotify.