Treasury moves against drug cartel

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WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- The U.S. Treasury Department said Wednesday it has frozen a reputed Guatemalan drug lord's family assets.

Waldemar Lorenzana Lima, the suspected drug trafficker, has used agricultural holdings to front for his cartel, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control said in a release.

The decree freezes any assets the family may have under American jurisdiction, and prohibits American companies and individuals from doing business with the Lorenzana family.

"Treasury will continue to target major drug cartels wherever they are operating, including family organizations that work together to traffic narcotics," said OFAC Director Adam J. Szubin. "Today's designation of Marta Julia and Ovaldino Lorenzana Cordon, members of one of Guatemala's most significant crime families, along with the Lorenzanas' business network, allows us to continue our efforts to dismantle transnational drug trafficking organizations operating in Guatemala."