Treasury Sanctions Mexico-Based Transnational Criminal Organization Smuggling Migrants into the United States

WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned the Bhardwaj Human Smuggling Organization (Bhardwaj HSO), a transnational criminal organization (TCO) based in Cancun, Mexico, as well as its leader Vikrant Bhardwaj (Bhardwaj), three other individuals, and 16 companies that have facilitated and profited from the HSO’s criminal activities. The Bhardwaj HSO has smuggled thousands of illegal aliens from Europe, the Middle East, South America, and Asia into the United States. In addition to human smuggling, the Bhardwaj HSO is involved in drug trafficking, bribery, and money laundering. “At the direction of Secretary Bessent and President Trump, the Treasury Department is taking action to crack down on human smugglers,” said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley.