U.S. Treasury Department Acts Against Colombian Narco-Terrorists

19 February 2004

U.S. Treasury Department Acts Against Colombian Narco-Terrorists

Adds names of terrorist groups to "Kingpin Act" list

The U.S. Department of Treasury has added the names of 40 Colombian narco-terrorist figures to a list of persons designated under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act) -- a list that subjects them under that Act to economic sanctions imposed against foreign drug cartels.

The Treasury Department said in a February 19 statement that this action prohibits U.S. individuals and companies from doing business with the 40 designated persons.

Treasury said the action is part of its plan to "further identify, expose, isolate, and incapacitate these Colombian narco-terrorists and their support networks."

Following is the text of the Treasury Department statement:

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Washington, D.C.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 19, 2004

TREASURY TAKES ACTION AGAINST FARC/AUC NARCO-TERRORIST LEADERS IN CONTINUED EFFORT TO HALT NARCOTICS TRAFFICKING

In another important effort in the battle against narcotics trafficking, the Treasury Department took action today against leaders and key figures of the Colombian narco-terrorist organizations, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, or FARC), and the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia, or AUC).

The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has added the names of FARC leaders, including Pedro Antonio Marin and Jorge Briceno Suarez, key AUC figures, including Carlos Castano Gil and Salvatore Mancuso Gomez and AUC front companies to the list of "Tier II" persons designated under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act). The 40 Colombian names added to the Kingpin Act list include 19 FARC individuals, 18 individuals associated with the AUC and three front companies connected to the AUC. These 40 persons are subject to the economic sanctions imposed against foreign drug cartels under the Kingpin Act.

The OFAC action prohibits U.S. individuals and companies from doing business with the 40 designated persons and blocks their assets found in U.S. jurisdiction. Today's designations comprise the first actions by Treasury against the operatives and fronts of the FARC and the AUC; and they are part of Treasury's plan to further identify, expose, isolate and incapacitate these Colombian narco-terrorists and their support networks.

These Kingpin Act designations reinforce the reality that the FARC and the AUC are not simply terrorist/guerrilla organizations fighting within Colombia to achieve political agendas. They are part and parcel of the narcotics production and export threat to the United States, as well as Europe and other countries of Latin America.

The FARC and the AUC organizations were designated by President Bush as Significant Foreign Narcotics Traffickers on May 29, 2003. As the White House announced at that time, "This action underscores the President's determination to pursue narco-terrorists. This action also underscores the President's determination to do everything possible to fight drug traffickers, undermine their operations and end the suffering that trade in illicit drugs inflicts on Americans and other people around the world."

Under President Bush's Executive Order 13224, both the FARC and the AUC were named as Specially Designated Global Terrorists in October 2001. Previously, the FARC, in October 1997, and the AUC, in September 2001, had been identified as Foreign Terrorist Organizations under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act.

The list of Tier II individuals includes the supreme leader of the FARC, Pedro Antonio Marin, the leaders of the FARC Secretariat, its governing body, certain key FARC commanders, an international representative of the FARC, and key FARC members engaged in narcotics trafficking or the murder of U.S. citizens. The list of Tier II individuals also includes a number of AUC key figures, AUC financial managers and key AUC members connected with narcotics trafficking. Three businesses that are run on behalf of the AUC are also being designated.

This action is part of the ongoing interagency effort to carry out the mandate of the Kingpin Act, which applies economic sanctions against foreign narcotics trafficking kingpins worldwide. It reflects the increasing cooperation, coordination and integration among these agencies in the battle against international narcotics trafficking and narco-terrorism.

A total of 104 organizations, individuals and businesses in 12 foreign countries are now designated under the Kingpin Act. In addition to the prohibitions on transactions and blocking of assets subject to U.S. jurisdiction, penalties under the Kingpin Act range from civil penalties of up to $1,075,000 per violation to more severe criminal penalties. Criminal penalties for corporate officers are up to 30 years in prison and fines up to $5,000,000. Criminal fines for corporations are up to $10,000,000. Other individuals face up to ten years in prison for criminal violations of the Kingpin Act.

This and other Tier II actions under the Kingpin Act are coordinated by the Department of Treasury with the Department of State, the Department of Justice, the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The list of individuals named by OFAC as Tier II designations today is attached and available at http://www/treas.gov/ofac, as is the entire list of Kingpin Act designations. Today's list will be published in the Federal Register at a later date.