Ibn Khaldoon Drug Store Settles Charges of Unlicenced Exports

The U.S. Department of Commerce today announced that Ibn Khaldoon Drug Store Est. (Ibn Khaldoon), of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, has agreed to pay a $40,000 civil penalty to settle charges that it aided and abetted the transshipment of bone densitometer equipment to Iran via the United Arab Emirates in violation of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) charged that, on eight occasions between May 20, 1998 and June 2, 1999, Ibn Khaldoon aided and abetted the export of the equipment from the United States to Iran without prior authorization from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), U.S. Department of the Treasury, as required by the EAR.

The United States maintains a comprehensive embargo on trade with Iran because of Iran’s support for international terrorism. Under the terms of the embargo, most exports to Iran are prohibited unless they are authorized in advance by OFAC. The export of items to Iran without OFAC approval is a violation of the EAR and is subject to criminal penalties and administrative sanctions.

Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Julie L. Myers commended Special Agent David Nardella, of BIS’s Chicago Field Office for his efforts in the investigation of this case.