http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/reports/finaldesignationchart.pdf
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Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/hp699.htm
November 27, 2007
HP-699
Treasury Targets Criminal and Financial Network of
Southwest Asian Drug Kingpin
Washington, DC—The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today announced the designation of 9 individuals and 13 entities associated with Pakistani drug kingpin Shahbaz Khan. Shahbaz Khan was designated as a significant foreign narcotics trafficker by President Bush on June 1, 2007 pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (”Kingpin Act”). Shahbaz Khan is currently serving a life sentence in the United Arab Emirates for drug trafficking and an additional five years for money laundering. This is the first derivative designation by OFAC against the criminal and financial network of a designated drug kingpin in the Southwest Asia/Middle East region.
“Today’s action exposes the international criminal and financial network of a lethal drug kingpin in Southwest Asia,” said Adam Szubin, Director of OFAC. “We will continue to work with the international community to identify the financial networks of drug kingpins worldwide and disrupt the flow of their illicit monies through the financial system.”
Szubin added, “OFAC commends the efforts of UAE authorities to investigate, prosecute and dismantle the drug trafficking organization of Shahbaz Khan.”
The individuals designated by OFAC today include key criminal associates of Shahbaz Khan who are also in jail in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for their participation in his drug trafficking activities. Amir Azam, a British national, is serving a life sentence in the UAE for drug trafficking and five years for money laundering. Ahmad Abdulla Mohammad Abdulla Behzad (UAE), Waseem Rauf Loan (Pakistan), Mohammad Nadeem Ghani (United Kingdom) and Tom Michielsen (Belgium) are each serving ten year sentences for drug trafficking. Waseem Rauf Loan, Mohammad Nadeem Ghani and Tom Michielsen face an additional five year sentence for money laundering. Sherbaz Khan (Pakistan), the son of Shahbaz Khan, is a key lieutenant in his father’s drug trafficking organization and manages Shahbaz Khan’s financial network in Pakistan.
OFAC also targeted 13 companies which comprise an international financial network for Shahbaz Khan and his associates. These companies are located in the UAE (5), Pakistan (4), Spain (1), Germany (1), the Netherlands (1) and Belgium (1). These front companies are involved in the following trade areas: electronics and home appliances, general household merchandise, import/export, flowers and plants, and automotive parts and vehicles. Designated drug kingpin Shahbaz Khan and his partner Waseem Rauf Loan were able to incorporate their companies in the UAE through the use of Ahmad Abdulla Mohammad Abdulla Behzad, who acted as the local sponsor which is required under UAE law in order for a foreign national to incorporate in the UAE.
This action is part of an ongoing U.S. government effort under the Kingpin Act to use financial measures against foreign drug kingpins. This OFAC action would not have been possible without key support from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and UAE authorities, including several UAE police departments.
The designation blocks any assets of the 22 designees found within U.S. jurisdiction and prohibits U.S. persons from conducting financial or commercial transactions with these individuals. More than 300 businesses and individuals associated with 68 drug kingpins named by the President have been designated by OFAC pursuant to the Kingpin Act since June 2000. 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 and fines pursuant to Title 18 of the United States Code.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=russia
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Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/11/20071126-10.html
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 26, 2007
Statement by the President on Russia
White House News
I am deeply concerned about the detention of numerous human rights activists and political leaders who participated in peaceful rallies in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Nizhniy Novgorod, and Nazran this weekend. I am particularly troubled by the use of force by law enforcement authorities to stop these peaceful activities and to prevent some journalists and human rights activists from covering them.
The freedoms of expression, assembly and press, as well as due process, are fundamental to any democratic society. I am hopeful that the government of Russia will honor its international obligations in these areas, investigate allegations of abuses and free those who remain in detention.
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