Sanctions directed against a Son
and Wife of Chapo Guzman Loera
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, Maria
Alejandrina Salazar Hernandez and Jesus
Alfredo Guzman Salazar, a wife and son of drug lord Joaquin “Chapo” Guzman
Loera, respectively. 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.
“Today marks the sixth time in the past year that OFAC has
targeted and exposed operatives of the Chapo Guzman organization,” said OFAC
Director Adam J. Szubin. “This action
builds on Treasury’s aggressive efforts, alongside its law enforcement
partners, to target individuals who facilitate Chapo Guzman’s drug trafficking
operations and to pursue the eventual dismantlement of his organization, which
is culpable in untold violence.”
OFAC is designating Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar and Maria
Alejandrina Salazar Hernandez for their roles in the operations of Guzman
Loera’s drug trafficking organization and the Sinaloa Cartel. Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, along with his
father Joaquin “Chapo” Guzman Loera, was indicted on multiple drug trafficking
charges in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in
August 2009. Maria Alejandrina Salazar
Hernandez provides material support to the drug
trafficking activities of her husband Guzman Loera and the Sinaloa Cartel.
Guzman Loera and the Sinaloa Cartel were identified by the
President as significant foreign narcotics traffickers pursuant to the Kingpin
Act in 2001 and 2009, respectively.
Today’s action would not have been possible without the key
support of the Drug Enforcement Administration as well as that of the ICE
Homeland Security Investigations directorate.
Internationally, OFAC has designated more than 1,100
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.
To view a chart of the
Chapo Guzman organization, see
060712 Chart of Chapo Guzman Organization.pdf
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