On December 4th, U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated 22 individuals and 10 companies as “Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers” for their connection to the Beltrán Leyva cartel. Under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act), the designation of “kingpin” authorizes U.S. authorities to freeze any assets belonging to the accused under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibits U.S. persons from conducting financial or commercial transactions with them.
The department reported that the companies and individuals designated control companies linked to maritime and air shipping, distribution of electronics, importing and exporting health products, business consulting and hospitality services. Network operations were detected in eight states; Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Chiapas, Sonora, Jalisco, Estado de México, Baja California Norte and the Distrito Federal.
Adam J. Szubin, director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control, reported that among those accused are Héctor y Alfredo Beltrán Leyva, Leopoldo López Grayeb, Alejandro de Icaza Lozano, Felipe Moreno Pérez and Guillermo Zermeño Beltrán. He added that the Beltrán organization is responsible for terrible acts of violence in search of money. Actions taken against the organization seek to attack profits gained illegitimately, pointing to an extensive network of commercial companies used to move, lauder and conceal proceeds from their crimes, he highlighted.
In may of 2008, the then President of the United States, George W. Bush, identified organization of Beltrán Leyva and its leader, Marcos Arturo Beltrán Leyva, as kingpins. Also identified as a kingpin organization in April 2009, is there rival the Sinaloa Cartel, which has been in a violent war the Beltrán Leyva cartel since 2008.
Sources:
Ramírez, Mariana Viayra. “ EU congela activos de personas y empresas vinculadas al cártel de los Beltrán Leyva.” La Crónica de Hoy . 4 Diciembre, 2009.
