US declares Dawood Foreign Narcotics Kingpin

New Delhi, Jun 2 (UNI) Nearly three years after designating him as a global terrorist, the US has declared India's most wanted underworld don Dawood Ibrahim as 'Foreign Narcotics Kingpin', which means any of his assets in America will be frozen and he will not be able to transact with US nationals or companies.

An US embassy statement here today said President Bush designated three foreign individuals, including Dawood Ibrahim, and two foreign entities, including Dawood's business empire, in the seventh annual set of determinations of drug traffickers who would be subject to the sanctions provided in the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act ('Kingpin Act').

The foreign individuals and entities the President designated as appropriate for sanctions under the Kingpin Act were: Dawood Ibrahim (India), Fahd Jamil Georges (Brazil), Ali Naway (Iran), Dawood Ibrahim Organisation (India/Pakistan/UAE) and Amezcua Contreras Organisation (Mexico).

The sanctions would deny Dawood, who was wanted in India for among other crimes the 1993 serial Mumbai blasts, and his organisation in India, Pakistan and UAE access to US financial system.

The Kingpin Act, which became law in December 1999, targeted significant foreign narcotics traffickers, their organisations and operatives worldwide, denying them access to the US financial system and all trade and transactions involving US companies and individuals.

The Kingpin Act did not target the countries in which these foreign individuals and entities were operating or the governments of such countries.

Dawood had been widely reported -- including in the Pakistani media -- to be living in Pakistan under 'official patronage'.

So for all practical purposes, Dawood can continue to live comfortably in Pakistan.

In October 2003, the US Treasury Department designated Dawood Ibrahim as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224 and requested the United Nations list him as well.

''This designation signals our commitment to identifying and attacking the financial ties between the criminal underworld and terrorism,'' Deputy Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes Juan Zarate had stated.

The UN listing required all UN Member States take similar actions.

''We are calling on the international community to stop the flow of dirty money that kills. For the Ibrahim syndicate, the business of terrorism forms part of their larger criminal enterprise, which must be dismantled.'' The US had previously shown little inclination to go after Dawood, or help India get him, despite connecting him to al-Qaeda and worldwide terrorist activity.

UNI IP YA KN1423