Borderlands Mexico is a weekly overview of developments in United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week’s developments include an expanded U.S. sanctions campaign against Mexican individuals and companies tied to the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), record first-half container volume at Port Houston, and Foundry Commercial’s plan for a 192,000-square-foot logistics center in Fort Worth, Texas.

U.S. widens Mexican cartel crackdown to tequila makers and baby shoe company

The Trump administration has imposed sanctions on more than 50 Mexican individuals and companies linked to the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación, or CJNG.

Officials with the U.S. Treasury Department said the action targets a broad business network spanning tequila production, fuel distribution, logistics, private security and even a baby shoe manufacturer, according to a Treasury news release.

The sanctions package, announced Thursday by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, is the largest ever directed at CJNG. The measure is intended to cut off the cartel’s access to legitimate businesses that U.S. officials said were used to generate revenue, launder money and support drug trafficking operations.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the sanctions target the cartel’s “leadership, financiers, and criminal networks,” denying CJNG resources used to traffic fentanyl into the United States and finance other criminal enterprises.

The sanctions freeze any U.S.-based assets belonging to the designated individuals and companies and bar U.S. persons from doing business with them. Foreign financial institutions that knowingly facilitate transactions involving sanctioned parties also face the risk of secondary sanctions. For companies involved in cross-border trade, OFAC designations can create immediate compliance obligations because U.S. persons generally must block property and interests in property of sanctioned parties and avoid prohibited transactions.

Unlike previous sanctions that focused mainly on cartel leaders, Thursday’s action underscores how CJNG allegedly embedded itself in Mexico’s legitimate economy through businesses across multiple sectors.

One of the more unusual targets was Bubux Baby Shoes, a company that markets infant footwear. Treasury alleges the business is owned by senior CJNG member Gerardo Botello Rozalez, known as “El Cachas,” while relatives allegedly held leadership roles at the company and related businesses.

A significant part of the sanctions package is the Treasury Department’s renewed focus on fuel theft and logistics. The department said CJNG continues to diversify beyond narcotics trafficking through huachicol, the theft and smuggling of gasoline and crude oil, which costs Mexico billions of dollars annually. Officials said some cartel operatives are simultaneously involved in fentanyl trafficking and fuel theft operations.

OFAC also sanctioned Transic Logistic S.A. de C.V., a logistics company, and Strong Energy S.A. de C.V., a petroleum company, alleging the businesses were controlled by Alma Laura Mena Alvarado and Jose Mora Leon. Treasury alleges Transic Logistic diverted liquid fentanyl to CJNG, while Mena Alvarado and Mora Leon also participated in gasoline theft in cartel-controlled territory.

The sanctions also formally identify Juan Carlos Gonzalez, also known as “Pelón,” as the cartel’s new leader following the death earlier this year of CJNG founder Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho.” Treasury said Gonzalez has been charged in a U.S. federal drug trafficking indictment. The U.S. State Department is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction.

Port Houston reports record first-half container volume

Port Houston handled 2.23 million twenty-foot equivalent units during the first half of 2026, marking the highest first-half container volume in the port’s history.

Container volume totaled 389,962 TEUs in June, up 18% from the same month last year. Loaded imports increased 27% to 177,097 TEUs, while loaded exports declined 2% to 131,011 TEUs, according to data provided by Port Houston.

The port’s public terminals handled more than 28.2 million tons through June, a 3% increase from the same period a year earlier. General cargo rose 34% during the first half, while breakbulk cargo increased 35%.

Steel volumes improved in June, rising 46% to 430,510 tons. However, first-half steel tonnage remained 14% below the same period in 2025.

Trade through the broader Houston Ship Channel region increased 17% through May, supported by a 23% rise in export tonnage, according to the port’s monthly trade market report. Imports declined 4% during the period. Deep-draft vessel transits increased 8% during the first half, while barge traffic rose 5%. The Houston Ship Channel is a major U.S. trade corridor for containerized cargo, breakbulk freight and industrial shipments, making changes in vessel and cargo activity closely watched by shippers and carriers serving Gulf Coast supply chains.

Foundry Commercial plans 192,000-square-foot logistics center in Fort Worth

Foundry Commercial has acquired a development site in Fort Worth, Texas, where it plans to build Gemini Logistics Center, a two-building, 192,000-square-foot Class A industrial project, according to a company news release.

The development will be located near Interstate 35 West. Foundry said the project completed more than a year of entitlement and permitting work. Company officials said Gemini Logistics Center is positioned to serve tenant demand in one of North Texas’ fastest-growing logistics corridors. Industrial projects along major highway corridors in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are often aimed at distribution, warehousing and regional freight users that require access to population centers and interstate connections.

The project is part of Foundry’s expanding industrial investment portfolio. The company said it has closed eight investments totaling nearly $500 million this year and has another 15 projects representing about $1 billion under contract.

The original article was published by FreightWaves.