US slaps sanctions against UAE-based Indian family for smuggling drugs
What's the story
The US has slapped sanctions against a UAE-based Indian man and his parents for allegedly running a global money laundering and smuggling network for drugs. The US Department of Treasury yesterday said Jasmeet Hakimzada, who lives in the UAE, runs a global drug-trafficking network that smuggles heroin, cocaine, ephedrine, ketamine, and synthetic opioids into the US, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. Read more.
Countries involved
Department of Treasury designated four entities from India and UAE
Since 2008, Hakimzada has laundered hundreds of millions of dollars of illicit proceeds using his UAE-based company Maiwand General Trading Company LLC through financial institutions in the US, Brazil, India, Panama, the UAE and the UK. The Department of Treasury also designated his parents and four entities registered in India or the UAE that form part of the narcotics trafficking organization run by Hakimzada.
Network
Hakimzada's father is the primary partner in drug trafficking operation
Hakimzada's global drug trafficking and money laundering network has been involved in smuggling heroin and synthetic opioids globally, said Sigal Mandelker, Under Secretary, Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. The Treasury said it designated Hakimzada's father, Harmohan Hakimzada, for him being the primary partner in the drug trafficking and money laundering operation. Eljeet Kaur, his mother, serves as an officer in two front companies in India.
Entities
Three entities are based in India, one in UAE
The four entities designated today include three entities based in India - Maiwand Exim Private Limited, Maiwand Tobacco Limited, and Maiwand Beverages Limited and the UAE-based entity is Maiwand General Trading Company LLC. These four entities operate as a front for an array of illicit activities to include shipping narcotics and illegal pharmaceuticals as well as laundering large sums of narcotics proceeds.
Investigation
HSI conducted extensive investigation for 3 years into Hakimzada's operations
Over the course of three years from 2014 through 2016, the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) conducted an extensive investigation into Hakimzada's global narcotics and money laundering operation. It uncovered dozens of drug trafficking and money laundering-related transactions transiting the US involving numerous US banks, as well as drug shipments directly to the US using commercial international courier services.
Information
District Court in Tennessee had indicted Hakimzada on 46 counts
On April 5, 2017, a federal grand jury in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee indicted Hakimzada on 46 counts of drug trafficking and money laundering, the Department of Treasury said in a media release yesterday.