The U.S. Treasury Department on 6 August froze the U.S. assets of Mexican rapper El Makabelico and three alleged leaders of the Cartel del Noreste, broadening Washington’s campaign against the group that was designated a terrorist organization earlier this year. The Office of Foreign Assets Control said all property and interests of the four individuals subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked and Americans are prohibited from dealing with them. Treasury accuses El Makabelico—real name Ricardo Hernández Medrano—of laundering money for the cartel by using his concerts and other events, and by channeling half of his streaming royalties directly to the criminal group. The other men singled out are Abdón Rodríguez, described as the cartel’s second-in-command; Antonio Romero, a former police officer said to oversee operations in Piedras Negras and Ciudad Victoria; and Francisco Daniel Esqueda, alleged to run tactical units in Nuevo Laredo. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the action aims to cut off “critical revenue streams” that finance drug trafficking, extortion and human smuggling along the U.S.–Mexico border. OFAC added that it remains prepared to remove individuals from its sanctions list if they demonstrate a change in behavior.