WASHINGTON, DC – A banana farmer based in Belize has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Treasury Department, claiming that the Department caused the closure of his farm in its pursuit of Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. 

In the lawsuit filed this Tuesday in DC federal court, The National Law Journal stated that John Zabaneh claimed his unjust designation as a narcotics trafficker by the Department led to the direct closure of his farm, and impacted Belize’s industry.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a statement in 2012 naming John Zabaneh amongst “key associates” of El Chapo and the Sinaloa Cartel, who played a “prominent role” in the trafficking organization. The Department placed a sanction on Zabaneh and five of his organizations under the Kingpin Act. The action effectively “prohibits U.S. persons from conducting financial or commercial transactions with these individuals and companies, and also freezes any assets they may have under U.S. jurisdiction,” according to the press release issued by the Department at the time.

Zabaneh, for his part, stated in the lawsuit filed this week that the designation was “arbitrary and capricious,” and in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act. Zabaneh is asking the DC court to revoke his designation, and consider other forms of “relief” that seem just or proper to the case.

Zabaneh stated that after the sanctions were placed against him he had to close his banana and citrus farms in Belize. The sanctions, he claims, also caused companies outside of the U.S. to not work with him, in addition to causing obstacles in his family’s and own lives. Reuters also reported last year that the sanctions placed against Zabaneh impacted the country’s exports and labor. Bananas, according to Reuters, make up a fifth of Belize’s exports.

Over the years, Zabaneh has given interviews in Belize denying any involvement with El Chapo. According to The National Law Journal, the Treasury Department or Zabaneh’s legal representation have yet to comment since the lawsuit’s filing. 

As the lawsuit continues further, AndNowUKnow will keep an eye out for updates and their impact on the global industry.