As experts explain, cartels have extended their operations far beyond drug trafficking and human smuggling; they have penetrated the legal economy, among other things, to launder money, cutting across different industries. Indeed, it would be almost impossible to identify which companies may employ cartel members or be affiliated with them.
So, U.S. companies could be dealing with Mexican companies without knowing that they are being controlled by a cartel. In the event of sanctions, they could be affected.
Pablo Zárate, managing director of FTI Consulting, interviewed by the aforementioned media, said that even some extortion payments, although made under duress, could be considered “material support” to criminal organizations.
On the other hand, the financial sector could also refuse to transfer money to Mexican firms in order to avoid risks. In that sense, according to Eric Jacobstein, a former State Department official in Joe Biden's administration, in addition to US companies, “banks may reject their clients because they don't think it is worth the risk if they have links to Mexico”.