Oil Smuggling, Cartels, and Compliance: Lessons from a $300M U.S. Smuggling Plot

Federal agents have raided Arroyo Terminals near Rio Hondo, Texas, arresting the Jensen family for allegedly smuggling nearly 2,900 crude oil shipments into the U.S., disguised as “waste oil,” and funneling proceeds to the CJNG cartel, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. The DOJ is seeking $300 million in forfeiture, and the family faces up to 20 years in prison.

Why it matters: cartel-linked schemes are increasingly using legitimate-looking commercial operations—like fuel distribution—to obscure illicit flows, posing serious threats to institutions and compliance systems.

At OGA, we specialize in:

• Commodity and supply-chain intelligence to trace and verify the origin of goods

• Corporate intelligence to map ownership structures hiding illicit links

• Cross-border due diligence that flags red flags in asset accumulation and trade patterns

• Tailored monitoring solutions for early detection of smuggling and laundering networks

Interested in safeguarding your operations and uncovering hidden risks in trade and supply chains? Let’s connect.