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Skriven 2007-06-01 23:31:16 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (070601o) for Fri, 2007 Jun 1
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Fact Sheet: Overview of the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act
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For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary June 1, 2007

Fact Sheet: Overview of the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act

˙˙White House News


Introduction

The Administration has released the names of five individuals and one
entity against whom the President decided to impose sanctions pursuant to
the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (21 U.S.C. 1901-1908).˙ The
Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (the _Kingpin Act_) targets, on a
worldwide basis, significant foreign narcotics traffickers, their
organizations, and operatives.

Background

The purpose of the Kingpin Act is to deny significant foreign narcotics
traffickers, their related businesses, and their operatives access to the
U.S. financial system and all trade and transactions involving U.S.
companies and individuals.˙ The Kingpin Act authorizes the President to
take these actions when he determines that a foreign narcotics trafficker
presents a threat to the national security, foreign policy, or economy of
the United States.˙ Congress modeled the Kingpin Act after the effective
sanctions program that the Department of the Treasury_s Office of Foreign
Assets Control (_OFAC_) administers against the Colombian drug cartels
pursuant to Executive Order 12978 issued in October 1995 (_Executive Order
12978_) under authority of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act
(_IEEPA_).

Implementation

The Kingpin Act requires that the Departments of Treasury, Justice, State,
and Defense; and Director of National Intelligence, coordinate on the
identification of proposed kingpins for designation by the President.˙
Although not required by statute, the Department of Homeland Security is
also included in the process.˙ By June 1 of each year, the Act calls for
the President to report to specified congressional committees those
_foreign persons [he] determines are appropriate for sanctions_ and stating
his intent to impose sanctions upon those foreign persons pursuant to the
Act.˙ While this is a recurring annual requirement, the President may
designate significant foreign narcotics traffickers at any time.˙

Under the Kingpin Act, the President may designate foreign entities as well
as foreign individuals as _kingpins._˙ A foreign person is defined as "any
citizen or national of a foreign state or any entity not organized under
the laws of the United States, but does not include a foreign state."˙ The
President is not required to designate Colombian persons exclusively under
Executive Order 12978, and may designate a Colombian individual or entity
under the Kingpin Act, which is intended to be global in scope.

The long-term effectiveness of the Kingpin Act is enhanced by the
Department of the Treasury_s authority (in consultation with appropriate
government agencies and departments) to make derivative designations of
foreign individuals and entities providing specified types of support or
assistance to designated traffickers.˙ This authority broadens the scope of
application of the economic sanctions against designated kingpins to
include their businesses and operatives.

Including this year_s action, the President has named a total of 68
Kingpins (59 individuals and 9 entities) since June 1, 2000.˙ The
Department of the Treasury_s OFAC has designated over 300 entities and
individuals as derivative designations pursuant to section 805(b) of the
Kingpin Act; these entities and individuals are subject to the same
sanctions that apply to Kingpins.˙ In addition, 14 companies and
individuals are _blocked pending investigation_ by OFAC because of their
ties to designated Kingpins.˙ Designated individuals and immediate family
members who have knowingly benefited from the Kingpins_ illicit activity
are denied visas to the United States under 8 U.S.C. section 1182(a)(2)(C).

The Kingpin Act provides for criminal penalties of up to 10 years
imprisonment for individuals and up to a $10 million fine for entities for
violations, as well as a maximum of 30 years imprisonment and/or a $5
million fine for officers, directors or agents of entities who knowingly
participate in violations.˙ The Kingpin Act also provides for civil
penalties of up to $1.075 million.

Designations

The foreign persons that the President has designated as appropriate for
sanctions pursuant to the Kingpin Act are:

Victor Emilio Cazarez Salazar˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙ (Mexico)
Gulf Cartel˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙ (Mexico)
Jorge Mario Paredes Cordova˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙ (Guatemala)
HajĄ Azizullah Alizai˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙ (Afghanistan)
Shahbaz Khan˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙ (Pakistan)
Frederik Heinz Barth˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙ (Germany)

These names are being added to the designations first announced in June
2000 and announced every year since then.˙ A complete list of individuals
and entities designated can be found at www.treasury.gov/ofac .

˙

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