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September 28, 2006
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Treasury Designation Targets Nine Leaders and Key Figures of the FARC
The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today designated nine leaders and key figures of the Colombian narco-terrorist organization, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia or FARC).
"Today's action exposes key figures in the violent underworld of the FARC, one of the world's largest suppliers of cocaine and a notorious Colombian terrorist organization," said Adam J. Szubin, Director of OFAC. "We will continue to expose and financially isolate key individuals of the FARC who operate at the dangerous cross-section of terrorism and narcotics trafficking."
The nine individuals, named pursuant to the authority of the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act), include eight FARC leaders and a key international representative of the FARC. These persons are subject to the economic sanctions imposed against foreign drug cartels under the Kingpin Act, including the blocking of transactions between U.S. persons and the designees, as well as the freezing of any designees' assets found within U.S. jurisdiction.
Six of the nine individuals named today were indicted as part of a narcotics conspiracy along with other high ranking members of the FARC in March 2006 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia: Jose Juvenal Velandia ("Ivan Rios"), Jose Lisandro Lascarro ("Pastor Alape"), Alvaro Alfonso Serpa Diaz ("Felipe Rincon"), Gener Garcia Molina ("John 40"), Gerardo Antonio Aguilar Ramirez ("Cesar") and Gentil Alvis Patino ("Chiguiro"). Also designated today is Ferney Tovar Parra, a FARC member and right hand man to previously designated FARC commander "Fabian Ramirez." Tovar Parra has been indicted on federal drug trafficking charges in the Southern District of Florida. U.S. authorities are seeking the extradition of Gentil Alvis Patino and Ferney Tovar Parra, who are currently in Colombian custody. Also designated today are Rodrigo Granda Escobar and Jesus Emilio Carvajalino. Rodrigo Granda Escobar, an international representative for the FARC, is also in Colombian custody. Jesus Emilio Carvajalino, a member of the FARC Secretariat, is one of Colombia's most wanted terrorists.
On February 19, 2004, OFAC designated 19 individuals that included leaders of the FARC Secretariat (its governing body), certain key FARC commanders, international representatives of the FARC, and key FARC members engaged in narcotics trafficking or crimes against U.S. persons.
Background on the FARC
The FARC was designated by President Bush as a Significant Foreign Narcotics Trafficker or drug kingpin pursuant to the Kingpin Act on May 29, 2003. Previously, the Secretary of State named the FARC as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act in October 1997, and on November 2, 2001, the FARC was designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist pursuant to Executive Order 13224.
This action is part of an ongoing U.S. Government effort under the Kingpin Act, to apply financial measures against foreign narcotics trafficking kingpins worldwide. This effort involves close inter-agency coordination. A total of 284 organizations, individuals and businesses in 16 foreign countries have been designated under the Kingpin Act.
Penalties for violations of the Kingpin Act range from civil penalties of up to $1,075,000 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 $5,000,000. Criminal fines for corporations may reach $10,000,000. Other individuals face up to 10 years in prison for criminal violations of the Kingpin Act.
For a complete list of the individuals and entities designated today, please visit:
http://www.treasury.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/actions/index.shtml.
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