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A Mexican woman has become the first person indicted under the U.S.'s new material support of terrorism charges, according to the Department of Justice.
Maria Del Rosario Navarro-Sanchez, 39, of Mexico, has been charged with providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, the Cartel del Jalisco Nueva Generacion, She allegedly provided the cartel with grenades and assisted in smuggling undocumented individuals, firearms, cash, and narcotics for the organization.
“Cartels like CJNG are terrorist groups that wreak havoc in American communities and are responsible for countless lives lost in the United States, Mexico, and elsewhere.” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said. “This announcement demonstrates the Justice Department’s unwavering commitment to securing our borders and protecting Americans through effective prosecution.”
In addition to the material support charges, she is also being charged with "conspiracy to smuggle and transport aliens in the United States, straw purchasing and trafficking in firearms, bulk cash smuggling conspiracy, and conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute," according to the DOJ.
Two others have been indicted alongside Navarro-Sanchez.
Luis Carlos Davalos-Lopez, 27, of Mexico, has been charged with conspiracy to smuggle illegal aliens into and transport aliens in the United States, straw purchasing and firearms trafficking.
Gustavo Castro-Medina, 28, of Mexico, has been charged with straw purchasing and firearms trafficking, conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute, and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
The CJNG was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization along with seven other cartels on February 20 by the US Department of State.
"CJNG is a transnational criminal organization that controls a significant portion of the narcotics trafficking trade and has a presence in nearly every part of Mexico and dozens of other countries, including the United States," The DOJ said in a press statement. "In addition to trafficking fentanyl, CJNG engages in money laundering, bribery, extortion of migrants, taxing of migrant smugglers, and other criminal activities, including acts of violence and intimidation."
On President Donald Trump’s first day in office, he directed the DOJ and other agencies to work toward the "total elimination" of cartels due to the "extremely serious threats" they pose to the nation, the DOJ wrote.
“The arrest of Maria Del Rosario Navarro-Sanchez should send a clear message to people who wish to align themselves with terrorist groups that they will be sought out and held to the highest extent of the law,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement.
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