Action Includes Sanctions against Top
Cartel Lieutenant and Chapo Guzman’s Father-in-Law
WASHINGTON – The
U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today
announced the designation of two key Sinaloa Cartel operatives, including a
senior lieutenant of the cartel and the father-in-law of Sinaloa drug lord
Joaquin “Chapo” Guzman Loera. Today’s action, pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics
Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act), prohibits U.S. persons from conducting
financial or commercial transactions with these two individuals, and also
freezes any assets they may have under U.S. jurisdiction.
OFAC is designating top Sinaloa Cartel lieutenant Damaso
Lopez Nunez for his role in the narcotics trafficking activities of Joaquin
“Chapo” Guzman Loera and for playing a significant role in international
narcotics trafficking. Lopez Nunez, alias “El Licenciado,” helped Guzman Loera
escape from Mexican federal prison in 2001. He has since become one of the top
lieutenants of the Sinaloa Cartel, which is responsible for multiple-ton
shipments of narcotics from Mexico into the United States. OFAC is also
designating Ines Coronel Barreras for his role in the narcotics trafficking
activities of Guzman Loera. Ines Coronel Barreras is the father of Emma Coronel
Aispuro, Guzman Loera’s third wife. The
President identified Joaquin Guzman Loera and the Sinaloa Cartel as significant
foreign narcotics traffickers pursuant to the Kingpin Act in 2001 and 2009,
respectively.
“Today, OFAC designated Chapo Guzman’s right-hand man and
his father-in-law,” said OFAC Director Adam J. Szubin. “Working with our federal law enforcement
partners, we will continue to go after the Sinaloa Cartel’s holdings and
support structure, wherever they are located.”
Today’s action would not have been possible without the
support of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
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
up to $5 million. Criminal fines for corporations may reach $10 million. Other
individuals could 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.
View a chart of the Chapo Guzman organization: www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Documents/20130109_sinaloa_operatives.pdf
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