U.S. Imposes Visa Restrictions on 75 Sinaloa Cartel Family Members and Associates

of State Marco Rubio

stated that the United States has imposed visa restrictions on 75 family members and associates of the Sinaloa Cartel. These restrictions aim to prevent their entry into the country and deter illicit activities. The announcement builds on the Trump administration's actions against drug trafficking.

The Sinaloa Cartel was one of eight drug cartels designated as foreign terrorist organizations in February 2025. This designation enables tougher criminal penalties and greater military intervention against cartel members. Rubio noted that the cartel smuggles fentanyl and other drugs into American communities.

“The Sinaloa Cartel smuggles illicit fentanyl, which the President designated as a Weapon of Mass Destruction, and other deadly drugs that harm American communities," Rubio said in a statement. Federal prosecutors charged an alleged top Sinaloa Cartel fentanyl producer accused of supplying the Chapitos after his arrest in Mexico. Additionally, Rene "La Rana" Arzate-Garcia and Alfonso "Aquiles" Arzate-Garcia, leaders in the cartel's Tijuana operations, have been indicted for trafficking drugs into the United States. Rep. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., celebrated the decision to place visa restrictions on those linked to one of Mexico's top drug cartels on X.”

“For too long, narco-terrorists have built fortunes off the pain and deaths of innocent Americans while their families lived in luxury off blood money," Salazar wrote. "The era of impunity is OVER. No more hiding behind money, power, or family ties. If you profit from cartel terror, the consequences are coming. America’s safety comes first." A Drug Enforcement Administration operation in Miami resulted in the seizure of $10 million in cryptocurrency linked to the Sinaloa Cartel. The cartel operates in more than 40 countries and is one of the two largest in Mexico. Last summer, a Drug Enforcement Administration operation led to the arrests of 600 people tied to the cartel and the seizure of 714,707 counterfeit pills, 926 pounds of fentanyl powder, 4,870 pounds of methamphetamine, 16,466 pounds of cocaine, and 36.5 pounds of heroin.”