Action Targets Major Methamphetamine
Precursor Import Network
WASHINGTON – The
U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today
designated five individuals and three entities operating out of Tijuana, Mexico
as Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers (SDNTs) pursuant to the Foreign
Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act). OFAC designated Luis Gerardo Ibarra Cardona, the
leader of a methamphetamine precursor import network which is responsible for
supplying multiple tons of methamphetamine precursor material to the Sinaloa
Cartel. In July 2009, Mexican
authorities arrested Luis Gerardo Ibarra Cardona, and Subprocuraduría de Investigación
Especializada en Delincuencia Organizada (SEIDO) charged Luis Gerardo
Ibarra Cardona with the unlawful acquisition and procurement of ephedrine, a
precursor used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.
“Today’s designation of the Ibarra Cardona family and
business network will significantly impair this organization’s ability to
import methamphetamine precursor material from the United States and will disrupt
the Sinaloa Cartel’s methamphetamine precursor supply chain,” said OFAC
Director Adam J. Szubin.
In addition to Luis Gerardo
Ibarra Cardona, the network is comprised of his family members, including his
father, Jose Gerardo Ibarra Favila, mother, Mayela Cardona Martinez, brother,
Carlos Jesus Ivan Ibarra Cardona, and uncle, Pedro Cardona Martinez, all of
whom were designated today.
Additionally, the network operates three distributor companies, Distribuidora
Germay S.A. de C.V., Distribuidora Germay de Sonora, S.A. DE C.V., and
Comercializadora Cacho S.A. de C.V., all three of which are designated today.
Today’s action is the latest in a series of efforts by OFAC
to thwart transnational drug cartels.
The Sinaloa Cartel is responsible for distributing significant amounts
of cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamine to the United States.
President Obama identified the Sinaloa Cartel as a significant foreign
narcotics trafficker under the Kingpin Act in April 2009.
Today’s action, supported by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Joint Field Command Arizona, and the U.S.
State Department Bureau of Diplomatic Security, is part of OFAC’s
ongoing efforts under the Kingpin Act to apply financial measures against
significant foreign narcotics traffickers worldwide. Internationally,
OFAC has designated more than 1,200 businesses and individuals linked to 97
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
of up to $5 million. Criminal fines for corporations may reach $10
million. Other individuals face up to 10 years in prison and fines for criminal
violation of the Kingpin Act pursuant to Title 18 of the United States Code.
View a chart of the Ibarra organization.
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