Washington DC designó este martes 23 de julio a dos mexicanos señalados como
operadores financieros del grupo delictivo de Los Zetas como sujetos a acciones
de bloqueo y decomiso de bienes ubicados bajo su jurisdicción.
Con
esta decisión, el Departamento del Tesoro podría decomisar hasta 20 millones de
dólares a uno de los dos presuntos narcotraficantes identificado como José
Odilón Ramírez Perales, quien enfrenta cargos de lavado de dinero en una corte
federal de Texas.
Junto
con él, la Oficina de Control de Bienes Extranjeros (OFAC) del
Departamento del Tesoro designó también como sujeto de estas acciones a Ismael
López Guerrero.
Las
designaciones de ambos individuos se hicieron al amparo de la ley de
Designación de Narcotraficantes Extranjeros conocida como la ley Kingpin.
Ambos
sospechosos se encuentran bajo custodia de las autoridades mexicanas después de
sus arrestos en operaciones separadas.
Ramírez
Perales fue detenido en Coahuila durante un operativo en
octubre de 2012, en el que también fueron capturados tres individuos más.
De
acuerdo con OFAC , López Guerrero era el encargado de
colectar las ilícitas ganancias de los Zetas en la localidad fronteriza de
Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas.
Los
fondos eran trasladados posteriormente a Coahuila para su resguardo a cargo de
Ramírez Perales, quien de acuerdo con las autoridades estadunidenses fue
responsable del lavado de “decenas de millones de dólares”.
El
director de la OFAC, Adam J. Szubin, calificó la designación como una
significativa acción con la que se espera debilitar aún más la estructura
financiera de los Zetas.
Dijo
que la reciente captura del líder de los Zetas, Miguel Ángel Treviño Morales,
junto con dos miembros más del grupo, incluyendo su contador, “es un claro
ejemplo de la importancia de los operadores financieros dentro de la estructura
operativa de los cárteles de las drogas”.
Comunicado:
Treasury
Sanctions Financial Operatives Linked to Los Zetas
7/23/2013
Action
Targets Individuals Laundering Money for Trevino Morales
WASHINGTON
– The U.S. Department of the Treasury today designated two Mexican nationals,
Jose Odilon Ramirez Perales and Ismael Lopez Guerrero, pursuant to the Foreign
Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act) for their ties to Mexico’s
violent Los Zetas drug trafficking organization. Ramirez Perales is a powerful financial
operative responsible for controlling and laundering tens of millions of
dollars in funds smuggled from the U.S. to Mexico for Los Zetas leaders Miguel
Trevino Morales and Omar Trevino Morales.
Lopez Guerrero collects illicit monies from Los Zetas operations in
Nuevo Laredo, and he sends large quantities of smuggled cash to Ramirez Perales
for safeguarding and processing in Coahuila, Mexico.
“The
momentous arrest of Miguel Trevino Morales, who was captured last week, took
place in the early morning hours with two of his closest advisors by his side,
including a key accountant. This is another clear example of the central
importance of financial operatives within the operational structure of drug
cartels,” said Treasury’s Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control
(OFAC) Adam J. Szubin. “Treasury’s action today targets the activities of two
other significant financial operatives for Los Zetas. We will continue to support our Mexican
partners to target those laundering Los Zetas’ ill-gotten gains.”
Ramirez
Perales is wanted in the Southern District of Texas for money laundering
relating to drug trafficking. Ramirez
Perales and his other co-defendants are subject to the forfeiture of
approximately $20 million in the Southern District of Texas. In October 2012, Mexican authorities captured
Ramirez Perales, and they arrested Lopez Guerrero after a July 2012 gun battle. Lopez Guerrero, who uses the alias Gilberto
Godina Guerrero, was alleged to possess ammunition, drugs, and currency at the
time of his arrest. The arrests of these individuals and other high level Los
Zetas members such as Miguel Trevino Morales, along with the death of former
Zeta leader Heriberto Lazcano-Lazcano, has played a vital role in weakening of
the organization.
Today’s
action generally prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in any transactions with
these individuals and freezes any assets they may have under U.S. jurisdiction.
The
President identified Los Zetas as a significant foreign narcotics trafficker
pursuant to the Kingpin Act in April 2009.
On July 24, 2011, the President named Los Zetas as a significant
Transnational Criminal Organization in the Annex to Executive Order 13581
(Blocking Property of Transnational Criminal Organizations). Additionally, OFAC designated Los Zetas
leaders Miguel and Omar Trevino Morales on July 20, 2009 and March 24, 2010,
respectively. Since 2009, OFAC has
designated several dozen key plaza bosses, drug traffickers, and money
launderers operating on behalf of Los Zetas using Kingpin Act authorities.
Internationally,
OFAC has designated more than 1,200 individuals and entities linked to 103 drug
kingpins since June 2000. OFAC
designations are part of an ongoing effort to apply financial measures against
significant foreign narcotics traffickers and their organizations
worldwide. 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 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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