Companies with touchpoints to the U.S.-Mexico supply chain are facing more compliance risks amid the Trump administration's focus on sanctioning Mexican drug cartels, including measures to label them as terror groups, the Bradley law firm said in a Dec. 9 client alert.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned several people, companies and ships connected to Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and the country's shipping and energy sectors.
The U.K. on Dec. 10 removed one entry from its Iraq sanctions list. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation delisted Munir Al Qubaysi, who was sanctioned in 2004.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week extended a Russia-related general license that authorizes certain transactions for the negotiation of and entry into contingent contracts for the sale of Lukoil International GmbH -- the international business of Russian energy firm Lukoil -- and related maintenance activities. General License 131A, which replaces 131, now expires at 12:01 a.m. ET Jan. 17. The license was scheduled to expire Dec. 13 (see 2511140039).
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week removed two Russians from its Specially Designated Nationals List that it had originally sanctioned for either helping to provide Russia with export controlled items or for operating in Russia's technology sector.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned four people and four entities for their roles in recruiting and training former Colombian soldiers to fight for the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces in that country's ongoing civil war.
The Council of the European Union on Dec. 8 extended its sanctions on the Democratic Republic of the Congo for another year, pushing them to Dec. 12, 2026. The sanctions cover 31 individuals and two entities.
Canada last week lifted certain sanctions against Syria, removing the country from its List of Foreign State Supporters of Terrorism and taking Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham off the List of Terrorist Entities under the Canadian Criminal Code.
The Council of the European Union on Dec. 4 extended its human rights sanctions list for one year, pushing the restrictions to Dec. 8, 2026. The sanctions currently apply to 135 individuals and 37 entities.
The U.K. added three Russian intelligence officers and the Russian intelligence agency to its Russia sanctions list on Dec. 4. Vladimir Lipchenko, Yuriy Sizov and Denis Smolyaninov were sanctioned by the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation for coordinating "sabotage operations in Ukraine." The intelligence agency is the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, known as GRU.