On November 13, 2025, the Treasury announced a coordinated effort with the Government of Mexico to dismantle a transnational criminal network operating through gambling and hospitality venues. This comes as part of a broader commitment to disrupt financial flows of drug cartels and organized crime.
The joint action targets the Hysa Organized Crime Group (HOCG), a family-run network alleged to launder proceeds from narcotics trafficking via casinos, restaurants, and other businesses across Mexico with links reaching into Europe and the United States.
At the heart of the operation are multiple companies owned or controlled by HOCG members, including gambling establishments and luxury restaurants. The group is believed to operate with tacit consent from the Sinaloa Cartel, which allegedly exerts substantial criminal control over territories where HOCG is active.
Sanctions and Financial Restrictions
Under this action, the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned 27 individuals and entities linked to HOCG. In parallel, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) proposed a “special measure” to cut off 10 Mexico-based gambling establishments from accessing the U.S. financial system, on the grounds of serious money-laundering risk.
Those designated under OFAC sanctions including HOCG leaders and associated businesses will have any property or interests in the U.S., or controlled by U.S. persons, blocked. U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions involving the assets of blocked persons, unless licensed.
Moreover, entities owned 50% or more by any blocked person are also blocked. Unless explicitly exempted or licensed, U.S. persons cannot transact with or provide services to them.
Violations may trigger civil or criminal penalties. The Treasury emphasizes that these sanctions serve not merely to punish but to deter future unlawful financial activities and reshape illicit behaviour.
Allegations Against HOCG: Scope and Modus Operandi
The press release lays out detailed allegations about how HOCG carried out its operations:
The Hysa family including individuals named Luftar Hysa (also “Luftar”), Arben Hysa, Ramiz Hysa, Fatos Hysa, and Fabjon Hysa, allegedly used a mix of gambling houses, luxury restaurants, and other businesses across Mexico to funnel proceeds from narcotics trafficking into the legitimate financial system.
The group reportedly moved bulk cash from Mexico to the U.S., using U.S.-based companies (owned by HOCG or controlled affiliates) to clean and integrate illicit funds. The same money-laundering scheme also involved Europe-based entities.
Several named entities are implicated: Mexican firms such as Entretenimiento Palmero S.A. de C.V., Diversiones Los Mochis S.A. de C.V., and others, plus foreign companies in Canada and Poland (e.g., Hysa Holdings Inc, Rosetta Gaming Inc, Rosetta Gaming SP ZOO).
Certain individuals like a Mexican national, Gilberto Lopez Lopez, and a Mexico-based Albanian national Eselda Baku (formerly Eselda Hysa), also face designation. They are allegedly central to the corporate structure used for laundering.
Through this network of businesses and front companies, HOCG allegedly funnelled narcotics proceeds across borders, disguising them as legitimate cash flow from casinos, restaurants, or other enterprises. This allowed cartel-linked profits to integrate into the formal financial system.
Legal Basis and Impact of the Sanctions
OFAC’s designations are made under the authority of the relevant executive order that defines and targets significant transnational criminal organizations.
Once designated, all assets such as real property, bank accounts, investments linked with the named individuals and entities become blocked if they are in the U.S. or in the control of U.S. persons. Also, entities majority-owned by these persons are subject to blocking. Unless explicitly exempted or licensed, doing business with them is prohibited under U.S. law.
These restrictions extend beyond direct dealings. Financial institutions, even foreign ones, could face exposure if they knowingly facilitate transactions for these groups potentially leading to so-called secondary sanctions.
The overall objective is clear. Undercut the financial infrastructure enabling organized crime, make it harder for cartel‐linked entities to operate internationally, and deter welfare for illicit networks through economic isolation.
Significance and Broader Context
The joint U.S.–Mexico action highlights the growing trend of using financial tools as weapons against transnational organized crime. Rather than relying solely on law-enforcement arrests or border interdiction, authorities are focusing on dismantling the money pipelines that sustain illegal networks.
By leveraging sanctions and financial restrictions, such efforts aim to disrupt entire criminal business ecosystems, from casinos and hospitality venues to shell companies and cash-smuggling operations.
The targeting of HOCG also signals a broader crackdown on drug-cartel finances. As cartels increasingly rely on complex laundering schemes involving legitimate businesses, uprooting these networks becomes crucial to weakening their influence.
Moreover, the inclusion of foreign-based companies and European ties shows the international reach of these operations. The global dimension reflects how illicit money flows across jurisdictions, making transnational cooperation such as between the U.S. and Mexico essential.
Hence, the November 13, 2025 press release from the U.S. Treasury marks a major coordinated action between the United States and Mexico to strike at the financial underpinnings of transnational organized crime. The sanctions and financial restrictions against the Hysa Organized Crime Group and associated businesses aim to disable a sprawling network allegedly used to launder drug-trafficking proceeds via casinos and luxury establishments.
By deploying sanctions, blocking access to U.S. financial infrastructure, and cutting off entities from banking services, the action seeks not only to punish but also to deter making cartel-related money laundering riskier and less sustainable. The move illustrates the growing use of financial tools in global efforts to combat organized crime and underscores the importance of international cooperation in targeting criminal money flows.
As authorities clamp down on such networks, the hope is that disrupting their financial lifelines will degrade their operations, reduce the influence of drug cartels, and help protect the integrity of global financial systems.
