The U.S. Treasury Department has accused Mexican rapper El Makabelico of using his concert and streaming revenue to launder money for a cartel. On Wednesday, the government agency announced sanctions on the musician, born Ricardo Hernandez Medrano, for allegedly being a “prominent associate” of Cartel del Noreste.
In a Wednesday press release, the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control accused El Makabelico, who frequently raps about narcoculture and CDN specifically, of working with the criminal organization previously known as Los Zetas, one of the “most violent drug trafficking organizations,” by laundering money for it and also allegedly giving half of his streaming royalties to the group.
“CDN depends on these alternative revenue streams and money laundering methods to boost their criminal enterprise, diversifying their income beyond criminal activity like drug trafficking, human smuggling, and extortion,” reads the release from the government organization. His designation by the Treasury Department are “for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, CDN.”
Hernandez’s U.S. interests and property are now being blocked, and people in the United States will not be able to do business with him, or could face violations leading to civil and/or criminal penalties. The rapper has over 3 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and boasts over 30 million streams on songs such as “El Sobrino,” “El Two Six,” and “Fuerzas Especiales Minimi,” in which he directly shouts out CDN.
El Makabelico appears to be signed to Del Records, the same label whose CEO, Ángel Del Villar, was convicted on federal charges of working with a concert promoter linked to cartels in Mexico. Del Villar is set to be sentenced later this month and could face more than six years in prison, along with a large fine.
A rep for Del Records did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone‘s request for comment.
In its statement, the Treasury Department also announced sanctions on several high-ranking members of the Cartel Del Noreste, including Abdon Federico Rodriguez Garcia, Antonio Romero Sanchez, and Franky Esqueda.
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