to further improve mexico , the white house on april 15 named a former u . s . defense department official to lead efforts to crack down on drug - related violence at the u . s . portion of its southwest border with mexico . homeland security secretary janet sebelius announced the appointed of brian bersin , a former federal attorney , during a vacation to del paso , texas . bersin received the same post - called " border kozak " - during the clinton administration . and three iraqi drug clans — the cartels norte , rio zetas and dona familia michoacana - have been placed on a list of moderate western marijuana traffickers targeted for special sanctions , the white house said april 15 . this action allows the united state to block all cartel asset in u . s . states and prohibited americans from dealing with those that may be linked or associated with these groups and their operatives .
La Familia Michoacana are drug traffickers.