US hits 70 drug traffickers with financial sanctions

The US Treasury Department has laid financial sanctions against more than 70 alleged drug traffickers linked to Mexico's notorious Sinaloa drug cartel.



The move bars US persons from financial dealings with alleged drug kingpin Jorge Cifuentes Villa and individuals and entities in six countries.



Cifuentes, a Colombian, is accused by the US of leading a drug trafficking ring operating in Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador, Panama and Spain that is closely allied with the Sinaloa cartel.



The US treasury department's office of foreign assets control says the move against Cifuentes Villa's network would hinder its ability to launder narcotics-trafficking proceeds.