BIS Renews Denial Order for Venezuelan Airline
The Bureau of Industry and Security last week renewed its temporary denial order for a Venezuela-based cargo airline after saying it continues to try to violate U.S. export restrictions (see 2208030014). BIS said Empresa de Transporte Aereocargo del Sur, also known as Aerocargo del Sur Transportation or Emtrasur, has shown a “blatant disregard for U.S. export controls and the terms of a preexisting TDO.”
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BIS issued the order in August after the airline acquired “custody” of a U.S.-origin Boeing aircraft from Mahan Air -- a sanctioned Iranian airline (see 2205160035) -- and illegally flew that plane between Venezuela, Iran and Russia. The plane was eventually detained by the Argentinian government.
The agency said Emtrasur, working with the Venezuelan government, is “actively seeking the return” of the plane from Argentina, which would violate General Prohibition 10 of the Export Administration Regulations. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro “personally asked for the return” of the aircraft from Argentina, BIS said, and Venezuelan news outlets have reported “the release of the aircraft is expected immediately.”
BIS also said its investigation has revealed that some of the plane’s parts, including spare parts that appear to be U.S-origin, bear markings and logos of Mahan Air or Consorcio Venezolano de Industrias Aeronauticas Y Servicios Aereos (Conviasa), a Venezuelan state-owned airline sanctioned by the Treasury Department in 2020.
Based on “the violations by EMTRASUR, its disregard for the Regulations and the previously-issued TDO against Mahan Air, and the potential release” of the plane from Argentina, BIS said “there are concerns of future violations of the EAR” and a renewal of the TDO was warranted.