The World : Panamanians Blacklisted

The United States has placed more than 150 Panamanian officials on a blacklist, forbidding U.S. companies and government agencies from buying from them or their businesses. U.S. Embassy officials said the action is intended to “hurt the pocketbooks” of people associated with Panamanian strongman Manuel A. Noriega, who has been indicted by two federal grand juries in Florida on drug-trafficking charges. The measure affects Panamanian officials who own companies that do business with the U.S. Southern Command military installations or with the Panama Canal Commission, a U.S. government agency that administers the Panama Canal.