Former-MLB Players’ Alleged Involvement in Drug Trafficking Ring Brings Attention to OFAC’s Kingpin Act

On Tuesday, August 20, the U.S. Department of Treasury imposed economic sanctions on a notorious drug kingpin’s organization and members, including two former Major League Baseball (MLB) players, labeling the group as “significant narcotics traffickers.” The U.S. took this action after the two ex-MLB players Octavio Dotel and Luis Castillo, and 16 others were accused of being linked to a criminal network in the Dominican Republic to smuggle drugs from South America to the United States. Authorities arrested Dotel and cited Castillo for their involvement.[1]