The DEA released the below information:
WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA) today announced the arrest of Nidal Waked, one of the
world’s most significant drug money launderers and criminal facilitators. Waked
was arrested last Wednesday night in the El Dorado Airport in Bogota by the
Colombian National Police, in close coordination with DEA. The arrest comes on
the heels of sanctions announced today against Waked’s organization by the
United States Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
This Treasury action designated Waked and his co-head Abdul Waked, six other
associates, and 68 companies tied to the drug money laundering network.
“Nidal Waked has a long history of money laundering on
behalf of some of the world’s most ruthless and sophisticated drug trafficking
and criminal networks,” said DEA Deputy Administrator Jack Riley. “Waked’s
arrest, together with the U.S. Treasury sanctions of his many business
interests and associates, represents a crippling blow to his criminal regime
and highlights the significance of facilitators who enable transnational
criminal networks. This arrest illustrates DEA’s commitment to attacking the
highest levels of drug trafficking organizations and all their criminal
associates.”
DEA Miami led this long-running investigation, working
with OFAC, the Colombian National Police, FBI, and CBP. In addition, U.S. and
Panamanian authorities will coordinate as this investigation continues.
Waked has been charged in the Southern District of
Florida with money laundering and bank fraud charges.
OFAC Action:
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of
Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated the Waked Money Laundering
Organization (Waked MLO) and its leaders, Nidal Ahmed Waked Hatum (Waked Hatum)
and Abdul Mohamed Waked Fares (Waked Fares), as Specially Designated Narcotics
Traffickers pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin
Act). OFAC also targeted six Waked MLO associates and 68 companies tied to the
drug money laundering network, including Grupo Wisa, S.A., Vida Panama (Zona
Libre) S.A., and Balboa Bank & Trust. Panamanian-Colombian-Spanish national
Waked Hatum and Panamanian-Lebanese-Colombian national Waked Fares co-lead the
Waked MLO, which uses trade-based money laundering schemes, such as false commercial
invoicing; bulk cash smuggling; and other money laundering methods, to launder
drug proceeds on behalf of multiple international drug traffickers and their
organizations. As a result of today’s action, all assets of these individuals
and entities that are under the jurisdiction of the United States or in the
control of U.S. persons are frozen, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited
from engaging in transactions with them.
In addition to the Waked MLO and its two leaders, the
OFAC action designated six Panama-based MLO associates for providing material
support and/or acting on behalf of the MLO: Gazy Waked Hatum, Ali Waked Hatum,
and Jalal Waked Hatum, brothers of Waked Hatum who manage Waked Hatum’s
import/export, retail, and real estate businesses; Mohamed Abdo Waked Darwich,
Waked Fares’ son, who manages Waked Fares’ duty-free retail and real estate
development operations; and two attorneys, Norman Douglas Castro Montoto and
Lucia Touzard Romo, who provide a variety of services, including incorporating
shell companies, to the Waked MLO and serve various roles in several
Waked-related companies.
Today’s designations also target the principal
Panama-based companies used by the Waked MLO to launder drug and other illicit
proceeds: Vida Panama (Zona Libre) S.A., an import/export company in Panama’s
Colon Free Trade Zone; Grupo Wisa S.A., a holding company for businesses
involved in real estate, construction, retail, hospitality, and media,
including the La Riviera chain of duty-free stores operating throughout Latin
America; Soho Panama S.A. and related entities, including a luxury mall and
real estate development in downtown Panama City; Balboa Bank & Trust, a
Panamanian bank; and the Strategic Investors Group Inc., a holding company that
owns and controls Balboa Bank & Trust as well as two other financial
services companies. Balboa Bank & Trust was used to launder narcotics and
other illicit proceeds for multiple international criminal organizations.
Concurrent with this action, OFAC is issuing three
general licenses that authorize certain transactions and activities for limited
periods of time with five entities owned or controlled by the Waked network:
Soho Panama, S.A. (a.k.a. Soho Mall Panama), a luxury mall in downtown Panama
City; Plaza Milenio, S.A. (Millennium Plaza) and Administracion Millenium
Plaza, S.A., related to a hotel complex in Colon, Panama; and two Panamanian
newspapers, La Estrella and El Siglo, which are owned by Grupo Wisa, S.A. The
first two general licenses aim to assist with winding down transactions for a
limited period of time by authorizing specific activities that would otherwise
be prohibited. The third general license is intended to allow both Panamanian
newspapers to continue printing and operating by authorizing specific
activities that would otherwise be prohibited.
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