MEXICO CITY — The Trump administration on Wednesday imposed economic sanctions on five high-ranking members of Mexico’s powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel for their drug trafficking, while also citing their involvement in killings.

Previous administrations have also sanctioned the cartel — one of Mexico’s most powerful — as the Donald Trump administration also did in May, when it targeted the cartel’s fuel theft operations.

The sanctions freeze any assets the individuals or companies have in the U.S. and prohibit U.S. citizens from doing business with them.

“CJNG’s reign of terror across Mexico and its trafficking of fentanyl into the United States has destroyed countless innocent lives,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. “The United States remains strongly committed to leveraging all available tools to degrade the capacity of CJNG and other cartels to flood our streets with dangerous drugs and perpetrate heinous acts of violence against civilians.”

In February, the U.S. administration designated Jalisco New Generation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist.

The cartel is led by Nemesio Rubén “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, and he was among the five leaders named Wednesday. Washington has offered a $15 million reward for information leading to his capture.

Two of those sanctioned have been recently connected to high-profile investigations in Mexico.