Legendary Mexican soccer player Rafael Marquez Alvarez and Julion Alvarez, a well-known norteño band leader are among 22 people sanctioned for alleged ties to a drug trafficking organization, the United States Treasury announced Wednesday.

The Treasury said in a statement that it will also sanction 43 entities in Mexico, including a soccer team and casino.

The sanctions are the result of a multi-year investigation of the drug trafficking organization allegedly headed by Raul Flores Hernandez.

It is the single largest such designation of a drug trafficking organization ever by its Office of Foreign Assets Control, the statement said.

Marquez is a former Barcelona and New York Red Bulls star who currently plays for the Mexican soccer club Atlas in Guadalajara and is captain of the Mexican national team.

Flores Hernandez allegedly operated independently in the northern city of Guadalajara, but maintained alliances with the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels.

After years of research, together with the Procuraduría General de la República (PGR) were revealed the ties of these characters with Raul Flores Hernández.

The player is singled out for having two allies for operations: Mauricio Heredia and Marco Antonio Fregoso.

They froze assets

The Treasury Department froze assets and sanctioned 42 entities in Mexico, including the football team Club Deportivo Morumbi and a casino. In addition, some dedicated to: health and rehabilitation, restaurants, bars, casinos and music production.

Who is Raul Hernandez Flores?

Raul Flores Hernández has been operated in organized crime since 1980, because of its relations with other cartels like Sinaloa or Jalisco New Generation.

Flores, always acted Independent, using various characters or companies to money laundering.

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