US alleges well-known Mexican human rights activist works for drug cartel

The U.S. on Tuesday imposed sanctions on a well-known human rights activist in Mexico who has for years levied charges of human rights abuses against the country's Armed Forces, alleging he worked on behalf of a powerful drug cartel.



The U.S. Treasury Department accused Raymundo Ramos, president of the Committee for Human Rights of Nuevo Laredo, of "posing as a 'human rights' activist" for more than a decade in order to fabricate false accusations against the Army and protect members of the powerful Cartel of the Northeast (CDN).

"On the CDN payroll, Ramos engages in these activities with the goal of boosting the public opinion of CDN and discrediting Mexican authorities' law enforcement initiatives against the cartel," the Treasury Department said in a statement.



Washington's move blocks any assets Ramos might have in the United States and bars U.S. persons from working with him.



Based in Nuevo Laredo, an ultra-violent city in the state of Tamaulipas, bordering the U.S., Ramos has long been one of the most high-profile human rights activists operating in the area.