President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo asked the United States government to present evidence regarding its allegations that the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) finances election campaigns and installs politicians aligned with organized crime using funds derived from fuel theft. The president made this request on July 1, 2026, during her morning press conference at the National Palace.
Hours after the president’s statements, top officials from the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) and the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, arrived at the National Palace. After 10:00 a.m., Attorney General Ernestina Godoy; the head of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime (FEMDO), César Oliveros; and the head of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Regional Control (FECOR), David Boone de la Garza, arrived. García Harfuch arrived at virtually the same time via the covered parking area with an entrance on Correo Mayor Street, while the other three officials entered through the door located at 8 Corregidora Street.
The meeting took place after the U.S. Department of the Treasury accused the CJNG of using profits from fuel theft and smuggling—known locally as *huachicol*—to finance election campaigns and favor the election of politicians willing to collaborate with the criminal organization. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), both part of the Treasury Department, announced a series of actions on June 30, 2026, to combat fuel smuggling schemes linked to the cartel, including sanctions against network leaders and warnings regarding their influence on Mexican electoral politics.
As part of the sanctions, the U.S. government froze assets and imposed restrictions on two Mexican citizens and nine companies allegedly linked to the CJNG’s financial and logistical network dedicated to fuel smuggling and tax evasion (*huachicol fiscal*). Among those sanctioned is Óscar Guillermo Juraidini Silva, identified by the Treasury as a key accountant and financial operator for the cartel; he is linked to six companies in Mexico—operating in the transportation, financial services, and real estate sectors—as well as one in the United Kingdom. Also sanctioned was J. Refugio Ruiz Villagómez, who is linked to the firms Jomadi Logistics & Cargo and Ahavat Logistics Solution, both associated with the same scheme.
