The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned six key leaders and affiliates of Tren de Aragua, the Venezuela-based criminal group that the U.S. labeled a Specially Designated Global Terrorist and Foreign Terrorist Organization in February (see 2502200019 and 2502200019). The designations target Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, also known as Nino Guerrero, the head of Tren de Aragua, along with co-founder Yohan Jose Romero and senior officials Josue Angel Santana Pena, Wilmer Jose Perez Castillo and Felix Anner Castillo Rondon. OFAC also sanctioned Guerrero Flores' wife, Wendy Marbelys Rios Gomez, for her ties to money laundering, terrorism and terrorist financing, the agency said, adding that it believes she has "enriched herself through profits" from Tren de Aragua.
The Council of the European Union on July 15 sanctioned Russian individuals and entities for committing human rights abuses and engaging in destabilizing actions abroad through foreign information manipulation.
The Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network is extending the effective dates for its June orders that were set to designate three Mexican financial institutions as primary money laundering concerns, which will block U.S. banks, securities brokers and other money services businesses from transmitting certain funds involving those entities (see 2506260014). Financial institutions will now have until Sept. 4 "to implement the orders prohibiting certain transmittal of funds involving" the three entities, FinCEN said. The designations were scheduled to take effect 21 days after they were published in the Federal Register on June 30.
The Council of the European Union on July 15 added people and entities to its Iran, Haiti and Moldova sanctions list and renewed the Haiti sanctions regime for another year.
Most businesses likely won’t consider entering the Syrian market until the sanctions relief granted by the Trump administration (see 2506300055 and 2505230073) appears to be more permanent, panelists said during a webinar this week hosted by the Arab Center in Washington.
The U.N. Security Council isn’t yet ready to follow the U.S. in removing a broad range of sanctions against Syria, said Thomas Barrack, the Trump administration’s special envoy to Syria and ambassador to Turkey.
The State Department is adding properties to its Cuba Prohibited Accommodations List and Cuban military-controlled hotels to its Cuba Restricted List. The Cuba Prohibited Accommodations List identifies entities subject to restrictions on lodging-related transactions under the Cuban Assets Control Regulations, while U.S. people are generally blocked from participating in "direct financial transactions" with the entities and subentities on the Cuba Restricted List. The additions took effect July 14.
Finnish customs authorities are investigating a Helsinki-based forwarding company for a yearslong alleged scheme to violate sanctions by illegally delivering about 300,000 euros', or about $350,000, worth of goods to Russia.
The U.K. on July 10 added two entities to its Haiti sanctions regime. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation sanctioned two gangs, Gran Grif and Viv Ansanm. Gran Grif is led by Luckson Elan, and Viv Ansanm is led by Jimmy Cherizier.
The U.K. issued new sanctions guidance this week to help clarify how it uses the term “domiciled” when determining if an entity is located in a restricted country. In new FAQ 153, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation said it uses the term “domiciled” on a case-by-case basis, and it’s usually to examine an entity’s “place of incorporation and constitution, as we consider this to represent a substantial connection between the entity and a given jurisdiction.”