The United States and Mexico have jointly imposed sweeping sanctions against a network of gambling businesses and individuals accused of laundering drug cartel proceeds through casinos and restaurants across Mexico, Canada and Europe.
The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) said they acted in coordination with Mexican authorities to target the Hysa Organized Crime Group (HOCG) — a family-run criminal enterprise alleged to have laundered millions of dollars from narcotics trafficking in partnership with the Sinaloa Cartel.
The move follows new U.S.-Mexico commitments reached during Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley’s visit to strengthen cooperation against drug-related financial crime.
“Our message to those supporting the cartels is clear: You will be held accountable,” Hurley said. “We thank the Government of Mexico for its strong partnership in this effort.”
27 sanctioned in coordinated operation
OFAC designated 27 individuals and entities for sanctions, while FinCEN proposed measures to sever 10 Mexico-based gambling establishments from the U.S. financial system due to money-laundering risks.
According to OFAC, the Hysa Group, led by Albanian nationals Luftar, Arben, Ramiz, Fatos, and Fabjon Hysa, used casinos, restaurants and transport firms in Mexico to disguise proceeds from narcotics trafficking. The group allegedly operated with the consent of the Sinaloa Cartel, which controls much of the territory where its businesses are located.
Luftar Hysa, who divides his time between Mexico and Canada, and his relatives are accused of working with a U.S. national to move bulk cash from Mexico to the United States for laundering. The family also used companies in Europe to recycle illicit funds, OFAC said.
Network spans Mexico, Canada and Europe
Among the entities sanctioned are Entretenimiento Palmero S.A. de C.V., a Mexican gambling company owned by Arben Hysa, and Rosetta Gaming, which operates in Mexico, Canada and Poland.
Other sanctioned companies include Bliri S.A. de C.V., Cucina Del Porto S.A. de C.V., Diversiones Los Mochis S.A. de C.V., and Grupo Internacional Canhysamex S.A. de C.V., among others.
Under the U.S. order, all property and assets of designated individuals and entities under U.S. jurisdiction are frozen, and U.S. persons are barred from engaging in any transactions with them. Violations of these measures may trigger civil or criminal penalties.
Gambling sector under scrutiny
FinCEN separately proposed a special measure under Section 311 of the U.S. Patriot Act to block transactions tied to 10 gambling venues linked to the Hysa network, including Midas, Emine, Skampa, Mirage, and Palermo casinos in Mexico’s Sonora, Sinaloa, Baja California and Tabasco states.
The U.S. agency said the casinos have “for years facilitated money laundering that benefits the Sinaloa Cartel,” and warned that foreign financial institutions involved in their transactions could face secondary sanctions restricting access to U.S. correspondent banking.
A wider signal
The coordinated action underscores the Biden administration’s broader effort to tighten financial surveillance on transnational organized crime networks that exploit legitimate industries such as entertainment and hospitality to launder drug proceeds.
It also reflects a rare show of operational alignment between Washington and Mexico City at a time of growing political tension over migration and border security.
The Hysa Group designations mark one of the most extensive U.S. sanctions operations this year targeting a Balkan-origin criminal network operating on Latin American soil — a sign, analysts say, that cartel globalization is reshaping the map of organized crime.