WILLEMSTAD:--- Today, James M. Doby, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Assistant Regional Director for the Puerto Rico Field Division and Hormazd Kanga, Acting Consul General of the U.S. Consulate General Curaçao, presented Curaçao Minister of Justice Nelson Navarro and acting KPC commissioner Albert Sambo with a check in the amount US $873,127.57 payable to the Government of Curaçao. The funds are 25% of the total assets seized during a money laundering investigation.
At the presentation ceremony, Acting Consul General Kanga said: “Asset forfeiture is one of the most important tools modern law enforcement has against criminal organizations. And today, we applaud and recognize the efforts of two strong partners in the fight against illicit narcotics trafficking and money laundering: Curaçao and the U.S. Curaçao may be a small island but it does its part as a member of the global effort against these crimes. Whether it is law enforcement cooperation on investigations or hosting the U.S. Forward Operating Location (FOL) that multiple nations rely on to patrol the seas for narcotics, the people of Curaçao should be proud of their efforts.”
KPC provided information to U.S. law enforcement about significant money flows to bank accounts in the U.S. related to a narcotics and money laundering investigation in Venezuela. In a letter dated June 2, 2014, the United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico concurred with the recommendation to share 25% of the forfeited assets with the Government of
Curaçao.