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Peru Airline Chief Faces Drug Ban
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n810/a03.html
Newshawk: Doug McVay http://www.CommonSenseDrugPolicy.org/
Pubdate: Wed, 02 Jun 2004
Source: BBC News (UK Web)
Copyright: 2004 BBC
Contact: newsonline@bbc.co.uk
Website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/558
PERU AIRLINE CHIEF FACES DRUG BAN
Zevallos Strenuously Denies Any Wrongdoing
The White House has put the founder of Peru's main airline, Aero
Continente, on its list of foreign "drug kingpins".
Fernando Zevallos, who has been the subject of investigations in both
Peru and the US, denies any wrongdoing.
Washington has also ordered US-based assets belonging to Mr Zevallos and
Aero Continente to be frozen.
Under US legislation, people placed on the US list of drug traffickers
and their businesses are denied access to the American financial system.
The White House's announcement came hours after a court in Lima opened
proceedings against Mr Zevallos, 46, on cocaine trafficking charges.
The trial was adjourned to 11 June to allow prosecutors more time to
prepare their case, a judiciary spokesman told AP news agency.
'Plot'
The US Drug Enforcement Administration says its has launched more than
30 investigations into Mr Zevallos.
He insists he is the victim of character assassination by convicted drug
dealers turned informers, overzealous US drug agents and business
rivals.
On Tuesday the US administration froze US-based assets belonging to Mr
Zevallos, five other people, and seven companies linked to him.
"The US government has reason to believe that the six individuals
and seven entities identified... either assist in or provide
financial or technological support to the international narcotics
trafficking activities of Fernando Zevallos," said a spokesman for
the US embassy in Lima.
Other additions to the White House's list of "drugs kingpins"
include people from Mexico, Jamaica, Afghanistan, and India
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