The Trump administration on Thursday sanctioned an alleged smuggling operation behind bringing migrants to the U.S.-Mexico border. It said the group transports the migrants to Cancun, Mexico, from where they are transported north. Image courtesy U.S. Treasury Department/Release
Oct. 31 (UPI) — The U.S. Treasury has blacklisted an alleged human trafficking organization it says smuggles migrants into the United States from four continents via yachts, marinas, hotels and hostels, amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.
The sanctions were announced Thursday and accused Vikrant Bhardwaj, a 39-year-old dual Mexican-Indian businessman, of being the mastermind of the alleged operation.
According to his website, Bhardwaj is the founder of VNV Group, a Cancun-based multinational conglomerate involved in yachting, real estate, logistics and hospitality.
The Treasury sanctioned what it called the Bhardwaj Human Smuggling Organization, including Bhardwaj; his wife, Indu Rani, who turned 38 on Tuesday; Mexican nationals Jose German Valadez Flores, 47, and Jorge Alejandro Mendoza Villegas, 46; and 16 companies, some of which are named as divisions of VNV Group on the VNV Foundation website.
VNV Group was not designated, but will seemingly be affected by the sanctions as any entity majority owned by Bhardwaj is blocked by the Treasury.
The Trump administration alleges that the network traffics undocumented migrants from countries throughout the world via its yacht and marina resources to Cancun, Mexico. There, migrants are housed in hostels and hotels before being transported to the U.S.-Mexico border.
The organization is reportedly linked to a human smuggling organization allegedly run by Ofelia Hernandez Sals, and which the Biden administration sanctioned in June 2023.
The Treasury alleged the smuggling service receives operational support from members of the Sinaloa Cartel and makes thousands of dollars per migrant for Bhardwaj and the organization.
The Trump administration accused Bhardwaj of collecting and laundering the funds through his marinas and other businesses, German Valadez of running the day-to-day operations and logistics of the smuggling operation, Alejandro Mendoza of coordinating the arrival and departure of undocumented migrants and Cancun international airport and Runi of being involved in her husband’s financial operations.
UPI has contacted VNV Group for comment.
