US cites murder of TikTok influencer in new Mexcian cartel sanctions

The United States imposed sanctions on Wednesday against five leaders of a Mexican drug cartel including the prime suspect in the murder of Mexican influencer Valeria Marquez, the Treasury Department said.

The sanctions target the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), which Treasury said was responsible for a significant share of fentanyl and other illegal drugs entering the United States.

The cartel uses murder, including the targeted killing of women, as a tool of intimidation against its rivals, Treasury said.

CJNG's leader, Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," was sanctioned, along with a cartel commander closely linked to him, Ricardo Ruiz Velasco. Ruiz has been identified as the prime suspect in the murder of his alleged romantic partner, TikTok influencer Marquez, during a live social media broadcast, the department said.

Marquez, 23, was killed in May in the beauty salon where she worked in the city of Zapopan by a man who entered and shot her as she livestreamed a video on TikTok, the Jalisco state prosecutor said.

"The vicious attack highlights the brutal prevalence of femicide, or the killing of women on account of their gender, in Mexico. Femicide often goes unpunished and affects a significant portion of Mexico’s women," Treasury said in a statement.

Other leaders sanctioned include Julio Alberto Castillo Rodriguez, Gonzalo Mendoza Gaytan and Audias Flores Silva, according to the Treasury statement.