Two Colombians were added to U.S. list of drug traffickers banned from doing business with American companies, accused of laundering money for the FARC guerrilla group, reports El Espectador.
Maria Mercedes Jiminez Urrego and Jorge Enrique Jimenez Urrego, were designated “drug kingpins” by the Treasury, which froze the siblings’ assets and banned them from further business transactions in the U.S.
The two allegedly moved more than $74 million from Colombia to Chile, Peru, and the United States for the guerilla group, aiding its “narco-terrorist activities.”
Colombian Financial Superintendent, Jorge Galeano, said that since 2006, 27 firms have been sanctioned for failing to detect and halt money laundering activities.
Authorities in Colombia said that often businessmen in the Andean nation did not understand how serious it is to get involved in money laundering, as it could spell the end for a company, and severely damage trade relations between nations.