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(EMAILWIRE.COM, January 15, 2009 ) Washington, DC--The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today designated three international representatives of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a narco-terrorist organization. The OFAC action was taken pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act), which applies financial sanctions against significant foreign narcotics traffickers and organizations, like the FARC.
"Today's action exposes three additional members of the FARC's International Commission," said Adam J. Szubin, Director Director of OFAC. "The FARC is one of the world's largest suppliers of cocaine and continues to be Colombia's most notorious and vicious narco-terrorist organization. This is the seventh action over the past year that OFAC has taken against this group and we will continue our efforts to financially isolate the FARC, its leaders and their support network."
The three individuals designated are identified as key members of the FARC's International Commission: Omar Arturo Zabala Padilla (alias "Lucas Gualdron"), Maria Remedios Garcia Albert (alias "Soraya" and "Irene"), and Vlaudin Rodrigo Vega (alias "Carlos Vlaudin"). These International Commission members represent the FARC in France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, and Australia.
As representatives of the FARC and members of its International Commission, these individuals work abroad to obtain recruits, support, and protection for the FARC's acts of narcotics trafficking and terrorism. Omar Arturo Zabala Padilla, the FARC's International Commission member for France, Italy and Switzerland, directs nearly 80% of the FARC's activities in Europe, which include contacts with other terrorist groups and arms deals. Maria Remedios Garcia Albert, the FARC's International Commission member for Spain, a key liaison between the leadership of the FARC and its supporters based in Europe, was arrested by Spanish authorities on July 26, 2008 and later released pending trial. Files recovered from the computer of Raul Reyes, a top FARC leader who was killed by Colombian forces in a March 2008 raid, noted the "special support" of Vlaudin Rodrigo Vega, the FARC's International Commission member for Australia.
In 2003, President George W. Bush identified the FARC as a significant foreign narcotics trafficker, or "drug kingpin," pursuant to the Kingpin Act. This followed the State Department's designation of the FARC as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in 2001 pursuant to Executive Order 13224, and its 1997 designation of the FARC as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. To date, OFAC has designated 77 individuals and 10 entities for their support to the FARC. This OFAC action continues ongoing efforts under the Kingpin Act to apply financial measures against significant foreign narcotics traffickers and their organizations worldwide. In addition to the 75 drug kingpins that have been designated by the President, 530 businesses and individuals have been designated by OFAC pursuant to the Kingpin Act since June 2000.
Today's action freezes any assets the designated individuals may have under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibits U.S. persons from conducting transactions or dealings in the property interests of the designees. 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, and fines pursuant to Title 18 of the United States Code, for criminal violations of the Kingpin Act.
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U.S. Department of the Treasury
U.S. Department of the Treasury
202) 622-2000 -
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