19 November 2004
U.S. Blocks Additional Assets Linked to Colombian Drug Cartel
Seven businesses, 16 people added to list of Cali Cartel fronts
The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced November 17 that it is blocking the assets of seven businesses and 16 individuals linked to the Cali Drug Cartel in Colombia.
The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added the companies and individuals to its list of Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers (SDNTs).
The action blocks the assets of SDNTs within U.S. jurisdiction and prohibits Americans from doing business with SDNTs.
A Treasury press release noted that the action is part of an ongoing interagency effort of the Treasury, Justice, State and Homeland Security departments to carry out a 1995 executive order applying economic sanctions against Colombia's narcotics traffickers.
A total of 1,147 businesses and individuals are now blocked under the order, the press release said.
Following is the text of the press release:
(begin text)
TREASURY FURTHER ASSAILS THE FINANCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE CALI DRUG
CARTEL BY DESIGNATING 23 LINKED
This Department of Treasury press release may be viewed at:
http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/js2106.htm
The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today added seven businesses and 16 individuals to its list of Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers (SDNTs). These companies and individuals were acting as fronts for Colombian drug lords Miguel and Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela and formed a vital part of the organization's financial network in Colombia and abroad.
"We have seen that the notorious Rodriguez Orejuela organization manipulates people and businesses û both inside Colombia and out to traffic narcotics and bankroll their network," said OFAC Director Robert Werner. "We continue to attack the financial web of the Cali Cartel, and today's action ensures that these sham companies and operatives are denied access to the U.S. economy and financial system."
Today's announcement is a follow-up to OFAC sanctions actions in 2003-2004 against the world-wide financial network of the Rodriguez Orejuela organization. The OFAC action blocks the assets of SDNTs found in U.S. jurisdiction and prohibits Americans from doing business with them, thereby further exposing, isolating, and incapacitating Colombian drug cartels and their agents.
U.S. fugitive William Rodriguez Abadia, son of Miguel Rodriguez Orejeula and heir to the organizational throne, is among the shareholders of Alero S.A., a garment manufacturer located in Cali, Colombia and named in today's action. Also included among the seven businesses designated today are the Colombian financial front companies, A G Representaciones Ltda., Inversiones Capital Ltda., Representaciones Zatza Ltda., and Valores Corporativos S.A. These businesses are all affiliated with the money remittance company Internacional de Divisas S.A. and the stock brokerage firm Obursatiles S.A., both of which were named to the SDNT list in 2003 because of their links to the Rodriguez Orejuela organization. In addition, Farfalla Investment S.A. of Panama and Galaviz Corporation, Ltd. of the Bahamas were also designated.
The legal representative of Alero is Maria Iragorri Torres, who was named as an SDNT in March 2003 due to her involvement in Internacional de Divisas and Obursatiles. Iragorri Torres, who is also involved in Valores Corporativos, was arrested by Colombian authorities due to allegations of money laundering in January 2004.
Previously designated SDNT entities from the Cali and North Valle cartels include the Colombian airline Intercontinental de Aviacion S.A., the paso fino horse farm Criadero La Luisa E.U., the industrial brick company Ladrillera La Candelaria Ltda., the mining company Industrial Minera y Pecuaria S.A., the industrial paper manufacturer Unipapel S.A., the agro-industrial business Viscaya Ltda., and the America de Cali professional soccer team, as well as other agricultural, aviation, consulting, construction, distribution, financial, hotel, investment, manufacturing, mining, offshore, pharmaceutical, real estate and service firms.
This action is part of the ongoing interagency effort of the Treasury, Justice, State, and Homeland Security Departments to carry out Executive Order 12978, signed on October 21, 1995, which applies economic sanctions against Colombia's narcotics traffickers. The assets of a total of 1,147 Colombian businesses and individuals are now blocked under the 1995 Executive Order. The SDNT list includes 16 kingpins from the Cali, North Valle, and North Coast drug cartels in Colombia.
A diagram of the businesses named by OFAC today is attached.
For a complete list of the entities designated today, please visit: http://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/actions/
For further information on actions taken against the Cali Cartel, please visit:
http://www.treasury.gov/press/releases/js1915.htm (September 14, 2004)
http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/js15.htm (February 6, 2003)
http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/js122.htm (March 21, 2003)
http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/js915.htm (October 17, 2003)
(end text)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
This page printed from: http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2004&m=November&x=20041119141755asrellim0.1122553&t=livefeeds/wf-latest.html
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