31 C.F.R. Subpart B—Prohibitions
Title 31 - Money and Finance: Treasury
(a) Except as authorized by regulations, orders, directives, rulings, instructions, licenses, or otherwise, and notwithstanding any contract entered into or any license or permit granted prior to the effective date, no property or interests in property of a specially designated narcotics trafficker that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or that are or hereafter come within the possession or control of U.S. persons, including their overseas branches, may be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn or otherwise dealt in. (b) When a transaction results in the blocking of funds at a financial institution pursuant to this section and a party to the transaction believes the funds have been blocked due to mistaken identity, that party may seek to have such funds unblocked pursuant to the administrative procedures set forth in §501.806 of this chapter. [62 FR 9960, Mar. 5, 1997, as amended at 62 FR 45107, Aug. 25, 1997] (a) Any transfer after the effective date, which is in violation of any provision of this part or of any regulation, order, directive, ruling, instruction, license, or other authorization hereunder and involves any property held in the name of a specially designated narcotics trafficker or in which a specially designated narcotics trafficker has or has had an interest since such date, is null and void and shall not be the basis for the assertion or recognition of any interest in or right, remedy, power or privilege with respect to such property. (b) No transfer before the effective date shall be the basis for the assertion or recognition of any right, remedy, power, or privilege with respect to, or interest in, any property held in the name of a specially designated narcotics trafficker or in which a specially designated narcotics trafficker has an interest, or has had an interest since such date, unless the person with whom such property is held or maintained, prior to such date, had written notice of the transfer or by any written evidence had recognized such transfer. (c) Unless otherwise provided, an appropriate license or other authorization issued by or pursuant to the direction or authorization of the Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control before, during, or after a transfer shall validate such transfer or render it enforceable to the same extent that it would be valid or enforceable but for the provisions of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, this part, and any regulation, order, directive, ruling, instruction, or license issued hereunder. (d) Transfers of property which otherwise would be null and void or unenforceable by virtue of the provisions of this section shall not be deemed to be null and void or unenforceable as to any person with whom such property was held or maintained (and as to such person only) in cases in which such person is able to establish to the satisfaction of the Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control each of the following: (1) Such transfer did not represent a willful violation of the provisions of this part by the person with whom such property was held or maintained; (2) The person with whom such property was held or maintained did not have reasonable cause to know or suspect, in view of all the facts and circumstances known or available to such person, that such transfer required a license or authorization by or pursuant to this part and was not so licensed or authorized, or if a license or authorization did purport to cover the transfer, that such license or authorization had been obtained by misrepresentation of a third party or the withholding of material facts or was otherwise fraudulently obtained; and (3) The person with whom such property was held or maintained filed with the Office of Foreign Assets Control a report setting forth in full the circumstances relating to such transfer promptly upon discovery that: (i) Such transfer was in violation of the provisions of this part or any regulation, ruling, instruction, license, or other direction or authorization hereunder; or (ii) Such transfer was not licensed or authorized by the Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control; or (iii) If a license did purport to cover the transfer, such license had been obtained by misrepresentation of a third party or the withholding of material facts or was otherwise fraudulently obtained. Note to paragraph (e) Unless licensed or authorized pursuant to this part, any attachment, judgment, decree, lien, execution, garnishment, or other judicial process is null and void with respect to any property which, on or since the effective date, was held in the name of a specially designated narcotics trafficker or in which there existed an interest of a specially designated narcotics trafficker. (a)(1) Any person, including a U.S. financial institution, currently holding property subject to §536.201 which, as of the effective date or the date of receipt if subsequent to the effective date, is not being held in an interest-bearing account, or otherwise invested in a manner authorized by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (e.g., §536.504), shall transfer such property to, or hold such property or cause such property to be held in, an interest-bearing account or interest-bearing status in a U.S. financial institution as of the effective date or the date of receipt if subsequent to the effective date of this section, unless otherwise authorized or directed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control. (2) The requirement set forth in paragraph (a)(1) of this section shall apply to currency, bank deposits, accounts, obligations, and any other financial or economic resources or assets, and any proceeds resulting from the sale of tangible or intangible property. If interest is credited to an account separate from that in which the interest-bearing asset is held, the name of the account party on both accounts must be the same and must clearly indicate the specially designated narcotics trafficker having an interest in the accounts. If the account is held in the name of a specially designated narcotics trafficker, the name of the account to which interest is credited must be the same. (b) For purposes of this section, the term interest-bearing account means a blocked account in a U.S. financial institution earning interest at rates that are commercially reasonable for the amount of funds in the account. Except as otherwise authorized, the funds may not be invested or held in instruments the maturity of which exceeds 90 days. (c) This section does not apply to blocked tangible property, such as chattels, nor does it create an affirmative obligation on the part of the holder of such blocked tangible property to sell or liquidate the property and put the proceeds in a blocked account. However, the Office of Foreign Assets Control may issue licenses permitting or directing sales of tangible property in appropriate cases. Any transaction for the purpose of, or which has the effect of, evading or avoiding, or which facilitates the evasion or avoidance of, any of the prohibitions set forth in this part, is hereby prohibited. Any attempt to violate the prohibitions set forth in this part is hereby prohibited. Any conspiracy formed for the purpose of engaging in a transaction prohibited by this part is hereby prohibited. (a) Personal communications. The prohibitions contained in this part do not apply to any postal, telegraphic, telephonic, or other personal communication, which does not involve the transfer of anything of value. (b) Information and informational materials. (1) The importation from any country and the exportation to any country of information or informational materials as defined in §536.306, whether commercial or otherwise, regardless of format or medium of transmission, are exempt from the prohibitions and regulations of this part. (2) This section does not authorize transactions related to information and informational materials not fully created and in existence at the date of the transactions, or to the substantive or artistic alteration or enhancement of informational materials, or to the provision of marketing and business consulting services by a U.S. person. Such prohibited transactions include, without limitation, payment of advances for informational materials not yet created and completed, provision of services to market, produce or co-produce, create or assist in the creation of information and informational materials, and payment of royalties to a specially designated narcotics trafficker with respect to income received for enhancements or alterations made by U.S. persons to information or informational materials imported from a specially designated narcotics trafficker. (3) This section does not authorize transactions incident to the exportation of technology that is not informational material as defined in §536.306(b)(1) or incident to the exportation of goods for use in the transmission of any information. (c) Travel. The prohibitions contained in this part do not apply to transactions ordinarily incident to travel to or from any country, including importation of accompanied baggage for personal use, maintenance within any country including payment of living expenses and acquisition of goods or services for personal use, and arrangement or facilitation of such travel including non-scheduled air, sea, or land voyages. Any transactions entered into by a specially designated narcotics trafficker while traveling in the United States that are outside the scope of those set forth in this paragraph are in violation of §536.201.
Title 31: Money and Finance: Treasury
PART 536—NARCOTICS TRAFFICKING SANCTIONS REGULATIONS
Subpart B—Prohibitions
§ 536.201 Prohibited transactions involving blocked property.
§ 536.202 Effect of transfers violating the provisions of this part.
§ 536.203 Holding of certain types of blocked property in interest-bearing accounts.
§ 536.204 Evasions; attempts; conspiracies.
§ 536.205 Exempt transactions.
