The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Controls (OFAC), today placed four high-ranking Venezuelan officials on the list of Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) under the Kingpin Act for providing assistance to the Colombian terrorist group known as FARC.  The list was created to designate individuals who the United States has identified as participating in activities related to drug trafficking or terrorism.  The four Venezuelan newcomers are:

- Cliver Alcala Cordones, Major General of the Fourth Armored Division of the Venezuelan Army;
- Freddy Bernal a prominent political ally of President Chavez who is currently a congressman for the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and former Mayor of the Libertador municipality in Caracas;
- Amilcar Figueroa ,a deputy from the PSUV to the Latin American Parliament (PARLATINO)
- Ramon Madriz Moreno, officer for the Venezuelan Intelligence Service (SEBIN).

Adam Szubin, OFAC director, said in a statement that “Today’s action exposes four Venezuelan government officials as key facilitators of arms, security, training and other assistance in support of the FARC’s operations in Venezuela. OFAC will continue to aggressively target the FARC’s support structures in Venezuela and throughout the region,”

These top-ranking officials join at least half a dozen other prominent Venezuelans who have been added to the SDN list for participating in drug or terror related activities. The others include Walid Makled, a business tycoon accused of running a major narco-trafficking operation; General Hugo Carvajal, Chief officer of the Military Intelligence Offices   for the Bolivarian Armed Forces;  Henry Rangel Silva, Chief of Operational Strategic Command for the Bolivarian Armed Forces; and Ramón Rodríguez Chacín, former minister of Interior Relations.

Inclusion on the list means that these individuals will have any assets they have in the U.S. frozen. It also prohibits U.S. citizens from dealing with the individuals on the list.