OFAC designates Sinaloa Cartel and Iran procurement networks

What's on the official record

On 29 September 2026, OFAC published "Counter Narcotics, Counter Terrorism, Iran-related, and Non-Proliferation Designations" at https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20260929. The page reports Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List updates in three groups: individuals added, entities added, and changes to existing entries. Unrelated administrative list changes: none.

OFAC added 23 individuals to the SDN List. Five are tagged [NPWMD] [IFSR] and are linked to Iranian procurement entities: AHMADY, Ali Fotowat (Tehran, Iran); LALI, Parisa (Tehran, Iran); LI, Fen (Foshan, Guangdong, China); TABATABAI, Seyyed Asghar Alizadeh (Beijing, China); and TAJAMMAL, Waseem Pasha (Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan). The page cites no Executive Order for these five; each carries "Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions." Eighteen are tagged [SDGT] [ILLICIT-DRUGS-EO14059], are linked to the Sinaloa Cartel, and carry secondary sanctions risk under section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886: BUENROSTRO MARTIN, Rafael; CASTILLO MALDONADO, Lorenzo; CHAPOTIN VILLALBA, Diosvany Samuel; FELIX RIVERA, Ilia Elizabeth; GASTELUM GARCIA, Hildegardo; HUEZO HERNANDEZ, Franklin Ernesto; MARTINEZ RODRIGUEZ, Pedro Humberto; MENDIVIL GARCIA, Pedro Ariel; MENDOZA URIARTE, Francisco Javier; MENDOZA URIARTE, Jorge Luis; MORENO GOMEZ SANTELICES, Marco Antonio; TORRES TORRES, Carlos Alberto; TORRES TORRES, Luis Alfonso; VERA AYALA, Jeronimo Javier; VERA AYALA, Jorge Mario; VILLELA GOMEZ SANTELICES, Carlos; YOCUPICIO YOCUPICIO, Jesus Rafael; and ZAMBADA SICAIROS, Ismael.

OFAC added 30 entities to the SDN List. Five are tagged [NPWMD] [IFSR]: CAVALIER DYNAMICS FOR TECHNOLOGIES COMPANY (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia); CAVALIER DYNAMICS PRIVATE LIMITED (Islamabad, Pakistan); CAVALIER DYNAMICS TEKNOLOJI TICARET ANONIM SIRKETI (Istanbul, Turkey); EC MOJO TECHNOLOGY CO LIMITED (Hong Kong, China); and KAVOSHCOM ASIA R AND D GROUP (Tehran, Iran). The page cites no Executive Order for these five; each carries "Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions." Twenty-five are tagged [SDGT] [ILLICIT-DRUGS-EO14059] with secondary sanctions risk under section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886, most located in Tijuana or Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico: BAJA FIXER GROUP, S.A. DE C.V.; CODESUAM, S. DE R.L. DE C.V.; CONCIERTOS Y ESPECTACULOS INHOUSE S.A.P.I. DE C.V.; DISTRIBUIDORA Y COMERCIALIZADORA ATAF; EDIFIKA DESARROLLOS BAJA, S. DE R.L. DE C.V.; FESTIVALES ARTISTAS MOBILIARIO ASESORIA, S.A. DE C.V.; GALERIAS CENTRO CAMBIARIO, S.A. DE C.V.; GRUPO BAJA FIRME, S.A. DE C.V.; GRUPO GASOLINERO NUEVA ESPERANZA, S. DE R.L. DE C.V.; HOLISTIC WELLWAVES S. DE R.L. DE C.V.; INTELIPROOF EFFICIENT, S. DE R.L. DE C.V.; LTHINGS MEXICO, S. DE R.L. DE C.V.; MIA CENTRO CAMBIARIO, S.A. DE C.V.; PRIVATE EQUITY BAJA S.A.P.I. DE C.V.; PRIVATE EQUITY BURSATIL, S.A. DE C.V.; PROYECTO ALERTA VERDE, S.A.P.I. DE C.V.; PUBLICIDAD E IMAGEN INTEGRAL ENLA-C, S. DE R.L. DE C.V.; RAES RESTAURANTE S. DE R.L. DE C.V.; RIVOS SERVICIOS, S.A. DE C.V.; SERVICIOS HOTELEROS GASTELUM, S.A. DE C.V.; THE WOODS BAR, S. DE R.L. DE C.V.; VIDA ORGANICA TIJUANA, S. DE R.L. DE C.V.; VIDEOVIGILANCIA COLABORATIVA, S.A.P.I. DE C.V.; WERMAK PUBLIRED, S.A. DE C.V.; and XOLO GAS DE BAJA CALIFORNIA, S. DE R.L. DE C.V.

OFAC made six changes to the SDN List. ARZATE GARCIA, Alfonso and ARZATE GARCIA, Rene each gained the [SDGT] tag and secondary sanctions risk under section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886, and are now linked to the Sinaloa Cartel. RIVERA ZAZUETA, Jose Angel gained the [SDGT] tag, secondary sanctions risk under the same provision, and a link to the Sinaloa Cartel. JOINT STOCK COMPANY EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN BUREAU NAMED AFTER A.S. YAKOVLEV and MG-FLOT LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY each gained the [IRAN-CON-ARMS-EO] tag in addition to [RUSSIA-EO14024]; the page cites "See Section 11 of Executive Order 14024" for both. SAHA AIRLINES gained the [IRAN-CON-ARMS-EO] tag in addition to [IFSR] [IRAN-EO13902].

Assessment

For a sanctions or trade-finance committee, the record lets you screen against 23 newly designated individuals and 30 newly designated entities, and re-screen three individuals and three entities whose SDN entries changed. The Sinaloa Cartel-linked entries carry secondary sanctions risk under section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886, and the Iran-linked entries carry "Subject to Secondary Sanctions," both flags to check against customer and counterparty lists before processing payments or trade. The page names the identifiers OFAC lists, including C.U.R.P., Folio Mercantil, registration, and passport numbers, which is what you match against.

For an owner or operating executive, the record lets you check whether any counterparty, supplier, or tenant in Baja California or cross-border operations appears among the 25 Mexican entities OFAC added, most in Tijuana and Mexicali. The page lists organization types spanning real estate, fuel retail, currency exchange, private security, and entertainment, which is the set of business lines to review against vendor and property records. The record states what OFAC did; it does not state that any particular firm is exposed.

What would change this call

A further OFAC action naming additional Sinaloa Cartel-linked entities or expanding the Iran procurement network would change the screening scope. A delisting or license from OFAC for any named entry would change the hold decision.

What to check next

Confidence

Confidence in the official record is high: every name, identifier, and program tag above is drawn verbatim from the single OFAC recent-actions page dated 29 September 2026. Filed 25 October 2026 from the record dated 29 September 2026.

Sources

[1] OFAC Recent Actions, "Counter Narcotics, Counter Terrorism, Iran-related, and Non-Proliferation Designations", 29 September 2026 — https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20260929