U.S. Sanctions Family Behind Mexican Casino Empire For Laundering Funds for Sinaloa Cartel

The Trump administration is intensifying its campaign to disrupt the financial networks of Mexican organized crime groups, announcing new sanctions against members of the Hysa family and several of their gambling businesses in Mexico, as U.S. officials claim the establishments were used to launder money for the Sinaloa Cartel.

In coordination with the Mexican government, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said on Nov. 13 that the targeted casinos helped launder more than $2 million in illicit payments between 2017 and 2024.

OFAC sanctioned 27 people and entities one day after Mexican authorities froze the bank accounts of 13 casinos across Mexico for alleged money laundering and links to organized crime.

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) also proposed a special measure to restrict 10 of those casinos from accessing the U.S. financial system due to money laundering risks. The sanctioned establishments, located in Sinaloa, Baja California, Tabasco, and Sonora, include Midas, Emine, Mirage, Skampa, and Palermo, among others, owned by three licensed operators in Mexico.

"The volume, duration, and repetitive nature of this activity indicate that these gambling establishments are a substantial and ongoing source of funds and a key facilitator of money laundering for the Sinaloa Cartel," the Treasury report said.

According to U.S. officials, the Hysa Organized Crime Group (HOCG) used its influence through investments and control of Mexican businesses to conceal profits from drug trafficking. The report said the group operates with the consent of the Sinaloa Cartel, which controls much of the territory where the Hysa family's casinos and restaurants are located.

The Hysa family, originally from Albania, has denied involvement in organized crime. U.S. authorities allege that Luftar Hysa, who divides his time between Mexico and Canada, worked with relatives and an unnamed contact in the United States to move bulk cash from Mexico into the country.

"The United States and Mexico are working together to combat money laundering in Mexico's gambling sector. Our message to those supporting the cartels is clear: You will be held accountable," said Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley. "We thank the government of Mexico for its strong partnership in this effort."

The Treasury's announcement came a day after Mexican authorities said they had suspended operations at 13 casinos accused of laundering millions of dollars abroad. Reuters reported it was not immediately clear whether the two enforcement actions were connected.

Mexican officials said the companies involved had alleged ties to organized crime, though Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch noted that did not necessarily mean links to drug cartels. Authorities did not identify the casinos, but Grupo Salinas, owned by businessman and presidential hopeful Ricardo Salinas, said it operated two of the targeted sites and denied wrongdoing.