Narco-traffickers who conduct their illicit activities across the U.S.-Mexican border may fall under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (21 U.S.C. § 1901-1908, 8 U.S.C. § 1182) and Executive Order 12978 of October 21, 1995. Assets are frozen under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (“the Kingpin Act”), if they are subject to U.S. jurisdiction and belong to persons or entities designated as Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers on the “Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons” list.
This list was just changed on April 15, 2009 to reflect the Kingpin Act designation of the Mexican: Sinaloa drug cartel, Familia Michoacana and “Los Zetas”. The Amezcua Contreras Organization of Mexico is also on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list and was put there as early as December 2000. According to an October 2, 2008 press release, the Amezcua Contreras Organization supplied precursor materials for methamphetamine production
Like those discussed by the October 2nd press release, Zhenli Ye Gon was accused of providing precursor materials for the manufacture of methamphetamine. As mentioned by my post “Forfeiture & The DEA’s Asset Search“, Ye Gon had been arrested in Maryland on July 23, 2007 on methamphetamine drug and money laundering charges. He had hidden $207 million in his Mexico City residence until law enforcement interdicted it on March 20, 2007. The discovery of these monies was the “[l]argest cash drug seizure the world has ever seen”, according to p. 166, Drug Enforcement Administration, 2003-2008. Said $207 million is pictured below:
Copyright 2009 Fred L. Abrams