Dec. 18 (UPI) — The United States has unveiled a new tranche of sanctions targeting international drug traffickers across seven countries, including New Zealand, marking the first time individuals connected to the Oceania nation have been hit with U.S. punitive measures.
The U.S. Treasury unveiled the sanctions Tuesday, designating 12 people and eight entities as part of the Biden administration’s effort to stem the threat posed by synthetic drugs to the United States and abroad.
Those blacklisted include alleged European drug traffickers, European financial networks, Colombian cocaine traffickers and associates in Australia and New Zealand who facilitate drugs trafficking into their respective countries.
“Drug trafficking organizations continue to rely on a global web of producers, transporters, and sellers to bring their deadly wares to market,” Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley Smith said in a statement.
“The United States, leveraging our strong domestic and international partnerships, will continue to disrupt the financial networks that enable the illicit drug trade.”
Of those sanctioned Tuesday, three individuals and two of the entities have what New Zealand authorities described as direct ties to the country.
“This is the first time that the OFAC sanction has been applied to people with a New Zealand nexus and sends a clear message that wherever you base yourself you are not out of reach,” Det. Supt. Greg Williams of New Zealand Police’s National Organised Crime Group said in a statement, referring to the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.
The Treasury blacklisted Lithuanian national Rokas Karpavicius, 44, who was charged with conspiracy to import cocaine and methamphetamine by New Zealand authorities in 1999, though he fled the country on a false passport before he could be tried on the charges.
He was subsequently the primary target of a New Zealand law enforcement operation in 2008, in which he was found to be coordinating drug exports from Europe to New Zealand.
The subject of an arrest warrant in 2009 and an Interpol Red Notice in 2011, Karpavicius was eventually detained at the Latvian border and extracted to New Zealand in 2012 where he was convicted on multiple drug and money laundering charges.
After serving four years of his 11-year sentence, Karpavicius was deported to Lithuania, where he seemingly still resides.
the U.S. Treasury on Tuesday said Karpavicius and another Lithuanian, Virginijus Labutis, 52, have been involved in trafficking cocaine and methamphetamine from Central and South America to Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and the United States. Similar to Karpavicius, a Red Notice was issued for Labutis earlier this year.
The Lithuanians worked with Australian national David Jonathan Thackray, 43, and Kiwi Ho Kai Leung, 46, to import drugs into New Zealand. The Treasury described them as key associates of Karpavicius and Labutis.
According to New Zealand authorities, Thackray was charged in 2014 with importing nearly a kilo of cocaine into New Zealand and Leung, the director of New Zealand-registered companies JT Trading and TNK Trading, was previously convicted of possessing and procuring methamphetamine and amphetamine.
The sanctions freeze all assets of those designated while blocking U.S. persons from doing business with them.
“OFAC’s sanctioning of these individuals and entities sends a clear message that New Zealand is working in unison with its international partners to stop the threats to our borders,” Williams said.