Treasury Targets Close Associate of Joaquin “Chapo” Guzman Loera
WASHINGTON – The
U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today
announced the designation of Victor Manuel Felix Felix, a close associate of
fugitive drug lord Joaquin “Chapo” Guzman Loera, leader of the Sinaloa Cartel. Felix Felix plays a key role in Chapo Guzman’s
drug trafficking organization and is the father-in-law of Guzman Loera’s son. OFAC also designated four other individuals
collaborating with Felix Felix and the Sinaloa Cartel. 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 individuals and freezes
any assets they may have under U.S. jurisdiction.
“By exposing additional family members and other affiliates
of the Sinaloa Cartel, this action builds on the Treasury Department’s
consistent efforts to disrupt Chapo Guzman’s drug trafficking activities,” said
OFAC Director Adam J. Szubin. “Treasury
applauds the work that U.S. and foreign law enforcement authorities have
already taken against the Felix Felix drug trafficking and money laundering
organization.”
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Chief of
Financial Operations John Arvanitis also stated, “DEA and its partners continue
to expose facilitators of Chapo Guzman’s drug and money laundering empire. Getting to the heart of the Sinaloa Cartel
and other drug networks requires an aggressive, sustained attack by law
enforcement. These designations are
examples of this effort and we will continue to target Chapo Guzman’s family
members and business associates in order to inhibit their criminal operations
that have impacted Mexico and other parts of the world.”
Victor Manuel Felix Felix is the head of a narcotics
distribution and money laundering organization based in Guadalajara and Mexico
City, Mexico. OFAC is designating Victor
Manuel Felix Felix, Jorge Guillermo Gonzalez Cardenas, Oscar Dominguez Villa
Diaz, Rigoberto Dias Paniagua, and Gabriela Vazquez Villavicencio for their
role in the operations of this criminal organization and material support they
provide to Guzman Loera and the Sinaloa Cartel.
In May 2011, a Federal grand jury in the United States District Court
for the Southern District of California returned an indictment charging Felix
Felix and members of his organization with drug trafficking and money
laundering offenses. The indictment arose
out of a DEA investigation linking the Felix Felix organization to the movement
of ton quantities of cocaine in Ecuador and Mexico and the laundering of millions
of U.S. and Canadian dollars through the international financial system. In March 2011, law enforcement in Mexico and
Ecuador arrested several members of this organization, including Felix Felix,
and seized four tons of cocaine. In July
2011, other members of the Felix Felix organization were arrested in law
enforcement actions in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Colombia. The U.S. is seeking the extradition of Felix
Felix and other members of his organization.
Felix Felix is the father-in law of Jesus Alfredo Guzman
Salazar, who is the son of Guzman Loera and Maria Alejandrina Salazar Hernandez. OFAC designated Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar
and his mother, Maria Alejandrina Salazar Hernandez, as specially designated
narcotics traffickers in June 2012 for their support to Guzman Loera’s illicit
activities. The President identified Guzman
Loera as a significant foreign narcotics trafficker pursuant to the Kingpin Act
in 2001.
Today’s action would not have been possible without the key
support of the DEA.
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, click here.
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