WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury today designated
four individuals and three entities involved in laundering the proceeds of
narcotics trafficking for drug kingpin Ayman Joumaa. Treasury also designated a Colombia-based
individual under its terrorism authority, Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, for
directing Hizballah’s fundraising activities in the Americas. This individual was previously designated
under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act) for his role
in narcotics-related money laundering.
Today’s designations further expose Ayman Joumaa’s network as a major
narcotics and money laundering enterprise that has reach throughout the Americas
and the Middle East with links to Hizballah.
As with the February 2011 action against Lebanese Canadian Bank, these
actions again highlight Hizballah’s links to major South American narcotics
money laundering organizations.
“The
Joumaa network is a sophisticated multi-national money laundering ring, which
launders the proceeds of drug trafficking for the benefit of criminals and the
terrorist group Hizballah,” said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial
Intelligence David S. Cohen. “We and our partners will continue to aggressively
map, expose and disable this network, as we are doing with today’s sanctions.”
Abbas Hussein Harb and Ibrahim Chibli
Abbas
Hussein Harb and Ibrahim Chibli are being designated today pursuant to the
Kingpin Act for collaboration with designated drug kingpin Ayman Joumaa in the
movement of millions of dollars of narcotics-related proceeds. Harb’s Colombia- and Venezuela-based organization
launders money for the Joumaa network through the Lebanese financial
sector. Chibli used his position as the manager
of the Abbassieh branch of Fenicia Bank in Lebanon to facilitate the movement
of money for Joumaa and Harb. For
example, in 2010, Joumaa moved over a million dollars into an account owned by Harb
and managed by Chibli. Harb is a dual
citizen of Venezuela and Lebanon, and Chibli is a Lebanese national.
Ali Mohamad Saleh
Ali
Mohamad Saleh, a Lebanese Colombian national, is also being designated today
pursuant to E.O. 13224 as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist for acting
for or on behalf of and providing financial, material, or technological support
to Hizballah. Saleh is a key Hizballah
facilitator who has directed and coordinated Hizballah activity in Colombia. He is a former Hizballah fighter with
knowledge of Hizballah operations plans due to his contact with Hizballah
authorities in Lebanon. As of July 2010,
Saleh was a contact of Hizballah’s Foreign Relations Department and has
maintained communication with suspected Hizballah operatives in Venezuela,
Germany, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia.
Saleh was the acting leader of a Hizballah support cell in Maicao,
Colombia that raised funds for transfer to Hizballah. In this role, Saleh solicited donations for
Hizballah from business owners and residents.
Saleh coordinated the transfer of checks and U.S. dollars by courier
from Maicao via Venezuela to Hizballah in Lebanon. He was previously designated under the
Kingpin Act on December 29, 2011, for his role as a Maicao based money launderer
for the Cheaitelly/El Khansa criminal organization, which is linked to the
Joumaa network. Saleh is the brother of
Joumaa-network associate Kassem Mohamad Saleh, who was also named today under
the Kingpin Act for his role in supporting Abbas Hussein Harb.
Additional Kingpin Designations
Ali
Houssein Harb (Abbas Hussein Harb’s brother) and Kassem Mohamad Saleh (Ali
Mohamad Saleh’s brother) were also designated under the Kingpin Act today for
their links to the Joumaa network. Ali
Houssein Harb and Kassem Mohamad Saleh are dual citizens of Lebanon and
Venezuela. The three companies targeted
as part of today’s action under the Kingpin Act for being owned or controlled
by Abbas Houssein Harb and/or Kassem Mohamad Saleh are: Importadora Silvania and Bodega Michigan,
both based in Colombia, and Importadora Silvania, C.A., based in Venezuela.
BACKGROUND:
Ayman
Joumaa was designated pursuant to the Kingpin Act in January 2011 for his role
as a high-level money launderer and drug trafficker operating in the Americas,
Middle East, Europe, and Africa. Joumaa
and his organization laundered proceeds from their illicit activities – as much
as $200 million per month – through various channels, including bulk cash
smuggling operations and Lebanese exchange houses. Since Treasury’s designation, he was
subsequently indicted in November 2011 by a federal grand jury in the Eastern
District of Virginia for being the leader of an international drug trafficking
and money laundering network that coordinated multi-ton shipments of cocaine
from Colombia to the Los Zetas Mexican drug cartel destined for the United
States and for laundering hundreds of millions of dollars in these drug
proceeds back to the Colombian suppliers.
Today’s
actions, which prohibit U.S. persons from conducting financial or commercial
transactions with the designated individuals and entities and freeze any assets
they may have under U.S. jurisdiction, were taken in close coordination with
the Drug Enforcement Administration.
“The DEA investigation of Ayman Joumaa that helped lead to today’s
Treasury actions is critical to protecting the U.S. financial system from
illicit activity and is another tool used to disrupt and dismantle these drug
and money laundering networks,” said DEA Financial Operations Chief John Arvanitis. “These sanctions will go a long way toward
ensuring that the entire Joumaa network is brought to justice.”
This
action is part of the Treasury Department’s ongoing efforts pursuant to the
Kingpin Act to target the financial networks of significant foreign narcotics
traffickers and their organizations worldwide.
The Treasury Department has designated more than 1,100 individuals and
entities linked to drug kingpins since June 2000. Penalties for violations of the Kingpin Act
range from civil penalties of up to $1.075 million per violation to more severe
criminal penalties. Criminal penalties for corporate officers may include
up to 30 years in prison and fines up to $5 million. Criminal fines for
corporations may reach $10 million. Other individuals face up to 10 years
in prison and fines pursuant to Title 18 of the United States Code for criminal
violations of the Kingpin Act.
Today’s
action also highlights the Treasury Department’s ongoing efforts to target
terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or to acts of terrorism,
isolating them from the U.S. financial and commercial systems. Hizballah was listed as a Specially Designated
Terrorist on the annex to E.O. 12947 of January 23, 1995. The U.S. Department of State designated Hizballah
as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 1997. Additionally, on October 31, 2001, Hizballah
was designated by the State Department as a Specially Designated Global
Terrorist pursuant to E.O. 13224.
To
view a chart of the Ayman Joumaa affiliates, click here.
Identifying Information
Name: Ali Mohamad SALEH
AKA: Ali Mohammad SALAH
AKA: Ali Mohamed SALEH
AKA: Ali Mohammad SALEH
AKA: Ali Abd-Al-Amir Muhammad SALIH
AKA: Ali Muhammad SALIH
AKA: Ali Muhammad Abd-Al-Amir SALIH
DOB: 1 Jan 1974
POB: Adchit, Lebanon
Colombian
Cedula No.: 1124006380
Colombian
Passport: AJ911608
Alt.
Lebanese Passport: 2071362
Alt.
Lebanese Passport: 1183967
Linked
To: ALMACEN BATUL
Linked
To: COMERCIAL ESTILO Y MODA
Name: Ibrahim CHIBLI
AKA:
Ibrahim SHIBLI SHIBLI
DOB:
10 Oct 1965
POB:
Sour, Lebanon
Nationality:
Lebanon
Name: Abbas Hussein HARB
AKA:
Abass Hussein HARB
Address:
Ave Pedro Melean, cruce con Calle No.
73, Local No. 22, Sector Santa Rosa, Valencia, Venezuela
Address:
Calle 10A No.12-21, Maicao, Colombia;
Address:
Carrera 70 No. 76-50 BG 3, Barranquilla,
Colombia
Address:
Calle 10 No 11-63, Maicao, Colombia
DOB:
11 Nov 1979
POB:
Lebanon
Venezuelan
Passport: 1368212
Colombian
NIT #: 6390001813
Venezuelan
National ID No.: 21495203
Alt.
Venezuelan National ID No.: 22465548
Colombian
National Foreign ID Number: 264521
Colombian
Matricula Mercantil No: 398329
Alt.
Colombian Matricula Mercantil No: 398330
Alt.
Colombian Matricula Mercantil No: 076592
Alt.
Colombian Matricula Mercantil No: 041789
Linked
To: IMPORTADORA SILVANIA
Linked
To: IMPORTADORA SILVANIA, C.A.
Name:
Ali Houssein HARB
AKA:
Ali Hussein HARB
Address:
Calle 10A No. 11-63, Maicao, La Guajira, Colombia
Address:
Calle 13 No. 10-34 Centro, Maicao, La Guajira, Colombia
DOB:
11 Aug 1976
alt.
DOB: 19 Aug 1976
Nationality:
Lebanese
Venezuelan
National ID No.: 26405022
Colombian
National Foreign ID Number: 254291
Name:
Kassem Mohamad SALEH
AKA:
Qasim SALEH
Address:
Calle 10A # 11A-02, Maicao, Colombia
Address:
Ave Pedro Melean, cruce con Calle No. 73 , Local No. 22,
Sector
Santa Rosa, Valencia, Venezuela
DOB:
10 Feb 1980
Nationality:
Lebanese
Lebanese
Passport: 1243712
Colombian
NIT #: 6390003192
Colombian
National Foreign ID Number: 264619
Alt.
Venezuelan National Foreign ID Number: 22075502
Colombian
Matricula Mercantil No 0081931
Linked
To: IMPORTADORA SILVANIA, C.A.
Linked
To: BODEGA MICHIGAN.
Name:
BODEGA MICHIGAN
Address:
Calle 10A 11A-02, Maicao, Colombia
Colombian
Matricula Mercantil No: 0081931
Name:
IMPORTADORA SILVANIA
Address:
Carerra 70 No. 76-50 BG 3, Barranquilla,
Colombia
Address:
Calle 10A No.12-21, Maicao, Colombia
Colombian
Matricula Mercantil No: 398330
Name:
IMPORTADORA SILVANIA, C.A.
Address:
Ave Pedro Melean, cruce con Calle 73,
Local No. 22, Sector Santa Rosa, Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela
Venezuelan
Tax ID No.: RIF J-31069374-9
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