Two family members were charged with conspiring to support a Mexican cartel designated as a terrorist organization.
Maxwell Sterling Jensen, 25, and James Lael Jensen, 68, residents of Sandy, Utah, face charges for conspiring to provide material support to a Mexican cartel identified as a terrorist group, engaging in money laundering conspiracy, and related smuggling offenses. The Department of Justice (DOJ) notes that the men allegedly assisted the Jalisco New Generation cartel.
They are accused of plotting to hide and misrepresent the origin of funds obtained from illegally smuggled crude oil, and also of facilitating the fraudulent importation of 2,881 oil shipments. The DOJ reports that they allegedly ran a business named Arroyo Terminals based in Rio Hondo, Texas.
Upon their arrest, authorities confiscated four tank barges loaded with crude oil, three commercial tanker trucks, a personal vehicle, and a pickup truck from Arroyo Terminal.
The initials of the drug cartel Jalisco New Generation are seen on a wall in Lagos de Moreno, Mexico, on Aug. 29, 2023. (Ulises Ruiz/AFP via Getty Images)
William Kimbell, acting special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration in Houston, said their arrests came from an investigation initially looking into drug trafficking.
A bullet-riddled facade with the acronym of the Jalisco New Generation cartel is pictured in El Aguaje, Mexico, on April 23, 2021. (Reuters/Alan Ortega)
“What began as a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) drug trafficking investigation evolved into a multifaceted case involving an alleged complex criminal operation generating millions of dollars from crude oil — the largest funding source for Mexican drug cartels,” Kimbell said. “Given the charges have profound implications for both the United States and Mexico, we will continue to explore all leads and identify any believed to be involved. The collaboration with federal law enforcement, prosecutors and state agencies proved critical to unraveling these alleged crimes and will continue until such operations are destroyed.”
Fox News Digital reached out to attorneys representing Maxwell Jensen and James Jensen for comment.
