Updating of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons Pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act

AGENCY:

Office of Foreign Assets Control, Treasury.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is updating the identifying information for one vessel that was previously identified as blocked property pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act) (21 U.S.C. Sections 1901-1908, 8 U.S.C. Section 1182).

DATES:

The update to the list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN List) of the vessel identified in this notice, is effective on November 12, 2015.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Assistant Director, Sanctions Compliance & Evaluation, Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control, Washington, DC 20220, Tel: (202) 622-2420.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Electronic and Facsimile Availability

This document and additional information concerning OFAC are available from OFAC's Web site at www.treasury.gov/ofac or via facsimile through a 24-hour fax-on demand service at (202) 622-0077.

Background

On December 3, 1999, the Kingpin Act was signed into law by the President of the United States. The Kingpin Act provides a statutory framework for the President to impose sanctions against significant foreign narcotics traffickers and their organizations on a worldwide basis, with the objective of denying their businesses and agents access to the U.S. financial system and to the benefits of trade and transactions involving U.S. persons and entities.

The Kingpin Act blocks all property and interests in property, subject to U.S. jurisdiction, owned or controlled by significant foreign narcotics traffickers as identified by the President. In addition, the Secretary of the Treasury consults with the Attorney General, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of Homeland Security when designating and blocking the property or interests in property, subject to U.S. jurisdiction, of persons or entities found to be: (1) Materially assisting in, or providing financial or technological support for or to, or providing goods or services in support of, the international narcotics trafficking activities of a person designated pursuant to the Kingpin Act; (2) owned, controlled, or directed by, or acting for or on behalf of, a person designated pursuant to the Kingpin Act; and/or (3) playing a significant role in international narcotics trafficking.

On November 12, 2015, the Associate Director of the Office of Global Targeting updated the SDN listing of the vessel listed below pursuant to the Kingpin Act:

Vessel

1. CITY OF TOKYO (D5GK6) Liberia flag; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 8709145; MMSI 636016488 (vessel) [SDNTK] (Linked To: MERHI, Merhi Ali Abou; Linked To: ABOU-MERHI LINES SAL).

To

CITY OF TOKYO (3ELV6) Panama flag; Vessel Registration Identification IMO 8709145; MMSI 636016488 (vessel) [SDNTK] (Linked To: MERHI, Merhi Ali Abou; Linked To: ABOU-MERHI LINES SAL).