Overview
- OFAC designated the Bhardwaj Human Smuggling Organization along with alleged ringleader Vikrant Bhardwaj and three associates: his wife Indu Rani, Jose German Valadez Flores, and Jorge Alejandro Mendoza Villegas.
- The designations freeze U.S. property and bar U.S. persons from transactions with the targets, with entities majority‑owned by the blocked parties also generally restricted under OFAC rules.
- Treasury says the network moved thousands of migrants from Europe, the Middle East, South America, and Asia through a Tapachula–Cancun–Mexicali corridor using yachts, marinas, hostels, and hotels.
- Officials allege the organization laundered proceeds through companies in Mexico, India, and the UAE, sought operational support from Sinaloa Cartel members, and used bribes at airports and ports.
- Several of the 16 designated firms are tied to Bhardwaj’s VNV Group holdings, and the action was coordinated with Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Mexico’s UIF.