7 News Belize

Johnny Zabaneh Says US Drug Blacklisting Is Destroying His Business
posted (August 9, 2012)
Yesterday at the Mayan King Banana Farm in the Stann Creek District, farm owner John Zabaneh was unable to pay his 200 employees. He can't because his bank, which is the Belize Bank has notified him that it can no longer handle his account. And with a payroll of over two hundred thousand dollars - Zabaneh says he cannot manage it without a bank.

It's not personal, but because he's been blacklisted as a Drug Kingpin by the US Department of Treasury, no bank will do business with him. If they do, they stand to jeopardize what's known as their correspondent banking relationship with US banks that provide services for them abroad.

And that's the precise effect of Tuesday's action by the US Department of Treasury. Their Office of Foreign Assets Control designated John Zabaneh, his nephew Dion Zabaneh, Corozal grocery store owner Daniel Moreno and their companies as "key associates of "Chapo" Guzman, and his Sinaloa drug Cartel. Once designated, U.S. citizens and companies are barred from conducting financial or commercial transactions with these individuals and companies.

Today Zabaneh told us that his employees are continuing to work - despite not having been paid - but says he has to come up with a solution, and fast.

Zabaneh says his farm workers pack about 27 to 30 thousand boxes of bananas per week - more than a quarter of the industry output, so it's no small matter.

A press release sent out on yesterday by Zabaneh stated that the Mayan King operation, which includes citrus and banana farms generate over US$15 million in foreign earnings.

The release calls the allegations of cartel involvement wild and unsubstantiated. It adds Zabaneh has never met nor heard of Daniel Moreno and has not spoken with his nephew, Dion Zabaneh, for several years.

We do note a report in the Houston Chronicle which states that that Zabaneh was arrested by the DEA for drug trafficking in 1986. Speaking to us today, he conceded that he had run in with the law when he was younger, but says he has left that life behind. He claims that in the past, the DEA camped out on the roads in his farm waiting for drug planes to land - which he says never happened.

He adds that just last year he went in to apply for a US visa and was told that his application would have to go up to the State Department for further review.

According to the release from US Treasury, its action would not have been possible without the key support of the DEA.

As US Embassy official in Belize told us that the action by the Treasury Department was not undertaken lightly or without proper consideration.

We do note a report in the Houston Chronicle which states that that Zabaneh was arrested by the DEA for drug trafficking in 1986. Speaking to us today, he conceded that he had run in with the law when he was younger, but says he has left that life behind. He claims that in the past, the DEA camped out on the roads in his farm waiting for drug planes to land - which he says never happened.

He adds that just last year he went in to apply for a US visa and was told that his application would have to go up to the State Department for further review.

According to the release from US Treasury, its action would not have been possible without the key support of the DEA.

An US Embassy official in Belize told us that the action by the Treasury Department was not undertaken lightly or without proper consideration.

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