The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has designated Mexico men’s national team captain Rafael Marquez as a member of a drug trafficking organization. His American assets have been frozen, and American citizens and companies are now forbidden from doing business with him.
Mexico captain Rafa Marquez designated as member of drug trafficking organization by U.S. Treasury
His American assets were frozen and he cannot travel to the United States.
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
The Kingpin Act, signed into law in 1999, allows OFAC to administer sanctions against individuals who are believed to be involved in international narcotics trafficking.
Marquez is one of 22 people to receive OFAC designation Wednesday for alleged involvement in the “Flores DTO,” a drug trafficking ring led by Raul Flores Hernandez. Along with singer Julion Alvarez, Marquez is accused of having “acted as front persons for him and his DTO and held assets on their behalf.”
Several businesses and charitable foundations have ties to Marquez, and do business in the United States. He also has sponsorships with American companies that he will now lose.
Marquez has not yet been charged with a crime, and OFAC designation does not indicate that a person will or will not be charged with a crime. The Mexican FA and Marquez’s club Atlas have yet to comment.
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