Mexico's Ministry of Finance and Public Credit published a communiqué announcing joint actions by its Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF), working with the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), to block financial operations and suspend activities of companies allegedly tied to a criminal group linked to the Pacific Cartel and foreign entities operating international money laundering and tax-crime schemes. OFAC designated the criminal group and 26 related parties (seven individuals and 19 companies), while UIF identified five additional entities, bringing the total to 31 persons on Mexico’s Blocked Persons List. The financial and tax analysis cited irregular operations, including cash movements and international triangulation of flows exceeding MXN 1 billion between Mexico, the United States, Canada, Belize, Panama, Romania, Poland and Albania, using corporate structures associated with casinos, restaurants and entertainment businesses. UIF also filed complaints with the Office of the Attorney General (FGR) for suspected money laundering and notified the Federal Tax Prosecutor’s Office after identifying tax offences and the use of shell companies to justify non-existent income.