U.S. Imposes Sanctions on 4 International Criminal group

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration announced harsh new sanctions against four far-flung criminal organizations on Monday, part of what it said was a coordinated strategy to fight international underworld factions that could harm United States interests or security.

The sanctions, outlined in an executive order signed Sunday by President Obama, are aimed at the Zetas, a Mexican drug ring linked to multiple killings; the Yakuza, Japan's widespread mob army; the Camorra, a crime network based in southern Italy; and the Brothers' Circle, an Eastern European criminal group operating worldwide.

The order freezes the groups' assets, blocks them from holding interest in American property, authorizes financial sanctions against anyone aiding them and bars their members from entering the United States.

The new moves, announced by Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., come as the administration is refocusing its efforts to confront global crime groups suspected of transporting drugs and weapons and aiding terrorist groups.

A 28-page report outlining the government's strategy conceded that "a shift in U.S. intelligence collection priorities since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks left significant gaps" in intelligence aimed at transnational criminal organizations.

"The fluid nature" of such groups, which often rely on shell corporations, offshore bank accounts and bases in countries with lax law enforcement, makes combating them "increasingly difficult," the report said.

Under the new strategy, the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation would appear to have heightened roles.

The National Security Council has long been the lead agency in investigating transnational threats during the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, and will retain a prime role, helping to oversee combined law enforcement, intelligence and military agencies.

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