The U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) removed Jose Adan Salazar Umaña “Chepe Diablo” from the list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN List) pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (“Kingpin Act”). The President identified Jose Adan Salazar Umaña as a Significant Foreign Narcotics Trafficker (also known as a Tier I Kingpin) on May 30, 2014 because information available at the time provided reason to believe that he played a significant role in international narcotics trafficking.
After being named to OFAC’s SDN list, Salazar Umaña petitioned OFAC to review his case. OFAC’s key criteria to retain an individual on the SDN list is that the information of involvement in narcotics trafficking activity be ongoing. In the course of its re-investigation, OFAC found that information currently available is insufficient to support the basis that he continues to play a significant role in international narcotics trafficking ( other Tier I Kingpins include Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel or Los Cachiros from Honduras)
This removal from the OFAC SDN list should not be viewed in the context of other possible criminal activity in which this individual may be, or may have been, involved. It simply means that current information held by the Department of Treasury is insufficient to demonstrate a reason to believe that he continues to play a significant role at the highest levels of international narcotics trafficking. Jurisdictions inside or outside of the United States may ultimately take civil or criminal actions against persons identified or removed from the SDN List. These proceedings would be carried out in accordance with each country’s own laws and procedures. Such cases may be based upon evidence not necessarily available to OFAC.
