Fmr. Mexican Governor, Judge Took Cartel Bribes, Says U.S. Treasury

A former Mexican governor and a ranking state judge are the latest politicians outed by the U.S. Department of Treasury for for allegedly accepting bribes. One of the named cartels is violent to the point that some U.S. officials are considering labeling the group a foreign terrorist organization.

Former Nayarit Governor Roberto Sandoval Castaneda was named by the Treasury Department under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which targets individuals allegedly involved in serious human rights abuses and corruption. Federal authorities also outed the politician’s immediate family. U.S. officials claim that throughout his political career, Sandoval Castaneda stole state assets and received bribes from several cartels, including Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) and the Beltran Leyva, in exchange for information and protection.

Federal authorities also named Judge Isidro Avelar Gutierrez under the Kingpin Act for allegedly taking bribes from CJNG in exchange for favorable rulings.

The blacklisting of the two officials, other alleged cartel associates, and several companies will freeze assets and forbid any domestic party from commercial engagement.

The CJNG under the leadership of Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes has become one of the dominant cartels in Mexico–known for its extreme violence and improvised explosive devices. The cartel also recruited Colombian terrorists and has shot down military helicopters. Most recently, two U.S. congressmen called for CJNG, the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas, and the Los Metros faction of the Gulf Cartel to be designated as foreign terrorist organizations.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Border / Cartel Chronicles. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Border / Cartel Chronicles. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.