According to a statement from the Treasury Department, dual U.S.-Mexican national Juan Carlos Gonzalez took control of the cartel (known by its Spanish acronym CJNG) after the killing of its previous chief "El Mencho" in February. CJNG is an ultra-violent Mexico-based paramilitary cartel involved in extortion, money laundering and running a global drug trafficking network. The U.S. Treasury said in a statement that Thursday's action "disrupts a wide range of criminal activities benefiting CJNG across multiple Mexican states." According to the State Department, Gonzalez was born in Santa Ana, California, on Sept. 12, 1984. Last month, the U.S. Treasury announced a new bank alert targeting the cartel.