Nov 10, 2009, 20:22 GMT
Washington - The US government enacted sanctions Tuesday targeting 14 people and 25 companies in Colombia, Spain and the Netherlands believed to have assisted the financial network of the imprisoned leaders of the Cali cartel.
The sanctions focus on Hernando Mejia Uribe, a Colombian citizen described by the US Treasury Department as the 'lynchpin' of the network that worked to conceal the finances of cartel leaders Miguel and Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela.
The two men are serving 30-year prison terms in the United States after a 2006 agreement in which they pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and money laundering charges. Under the plea deal, family members are required to disclose properties and assets to the US government.
Uribe allegedly led a network of Spaniards and Colombians who helped conceal financial assets. The sanctions block US citizens or companies from doing any business with them and freeze any assets on US territory.
Colombian authorities arrested Mejia Uribe in February on charges of money laundering and acting on behalf of Rodriguez Orejuela's family.
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