“Socalj” for Borderland Beat
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“Today’s actions underscore the importance of our collective efforts to disrupt the global illicit drug trade,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson. “Treasury, in close coordination with our law enforcement partners, will continue to target the drug facilitators that threaten the lives of hundreds of thousands in the United States and around the globe every year.”
Franco Tabarez Martinez
Tabarez Martinez distributes cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine to the United States, including Atlanta, Georgia, and Houston, Texas. In addition, Tabarez Martinez manages methamphetamine laboratories in Mexico and has received fentanyl powder from the PRC [China].
On July 7, 2023, an indictment charging Tabarez Martinez with drug trafficking, among other charges, was unsealed in the Northern District of Georgia.
US authorities identify La Nueva Familia Michoacana as the successor to the criminal organization La Familia Michoacana, which was designated in 2009 and in 2021 for its involvement in drug trafficking. Last year, its leaders, brothers Johnny, and José Hurtado Olascoaga, were sanctioned in the US as well and have been tied to “rainbow fentanyl” that has been seized recently.
Three Belgians Sanctioned for Cocaine Trafficking
The OFAC also sanctioned three Belgian nationals, including Othman El Ballouti, who is a high-level drug trafficker, as well as his younger brother, Younes El Ballouti, and his associate, Youssef Ben Azza.
Othman El Ballouti manages an international criminal organization that smuggles significant quantities of cocaine via shipping containers through the Port of Antwerp in Belgium for wider distribution throughout Europe. Their cocaine supplier also supplied cocaine to the Sinaloa and CJNG cartels.
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| Arrest of Wilder “Gato” Emilio Sanchez Farfan, cocaine supplier from Ecuador. |
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Sanchez Farfan was a major cocaine source supplier to the Sinaloa Cartel. He uses associates in Mexico to facilitate multi-ton cocaine shipments to Sinaloa Cartel members in Culiacan, Manzanillo, and Ensenada in Mexico. Additionally, Sanchez Farfan has sent representatives of his organization to Mexico to meet with members of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) to establish a working relationship to import multi-ton quantities of cocaine into Mexico from Ecuador.
Youssef Ben Azza, who has been involved in drug trafficking for over a decade, assists Othman El Ballouti in establishing ostensibly legitimate companies, which are created to conceal the organization’s involvement in illicit activities.
Currently, Othman El Ballouti, Younes El Ballouti, and Youssef Ben Azza are wanted by Belgian authorities for cocaine trafficking. They are believed to be living in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in an attempt to evade prosecution.