WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- The U.S. Treasury Department Tuesday named a former Colombian official as a specially designated narcotics trafficker for his ties to a narcotics organization.
The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control name Guillermo Leon Valencia Cossio, the former regional director for the Colombian prosecutor's office in Medellin, in accordance with the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, because of his alleged association with the criminal organization of Columbian narcotics trafficker Daniel Rendon Herrera, also known as Don Mario.
Valencia Cossio was arrested in August 2008 and is currently on trial in Colombia on charges of conspiracy and corruption for allegedly providing material assistance to the drug trafficking operations of paramilitary groups, including Daniel Rendon Herrera's.
"Today's designation targets Guillermo Leon Valencia Cossio for his abuse of power as a public official in Colombia on behalf of Daniel Rendon Herrera's drug trafficking organization," OFAC Director Adam J. Szubin said.
Rendon Herrera was identified as a kingpin by President Barack Obama in May 2009, and allegedly has extensive drug transportation networks throughout Colombia that have smoothed the way for the shipment of cocaine to the United States and Europe, OFAC said.
Penalties for violations of the Kingpin Act start with civil penalties of up to $1.075 million per violation and move up to more severe criminal penalties. Corporate officers' civil penalties may include up to 30 years in prison and fines up to $5 million, and criminal fines for corporations may go as high as $10 million, OFAC said.
