María del Rosario Navarro Sánchez, a 39-year-old Mexican citizen, has become the first person in the United States to be formally charged with providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization based on her ties to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). This indictment sets a legal precedent in the fight against drug trafficking, applying anti-terrorism statutes against members and collaborators of Mexican cartels.
Navarro Sánchez, also known by the aliases “Fernanda” and “Chayo,” was arrested on May 4 in Mexico during a coordinated operation between Mexican and U.S. authorities. The indictment, unsealed Thursday in the Western District of Texas, alleges that the defendant conspired to deliver grenades to the CJNG and actively participated in various illicit activities in support of the cartel, such as arms trafficking, cash smuggling, human trafficking, and narcotics importation.
“This is a historic step in the use of our legal tools to disrupt transnational criminal organizations like the CJNG. These types of activities put lives at risk both in the United States and Mexico,” said Margaret Leachman, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas.
The indictment also implicates two co-defendants, both Mexican citizens: Luis Carlos Dávalos López, 27, and Gustavo Castro Medina, 28. Both face charges related to human, arms, and narcotics trafficking. However, Navarro Sánchez faces the most severe charge: providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, the CJNG.
