The Office of Foreign Assets Control took a number of significant sanctions actions over the last week across multiple programs:
North Korea-related Sanctions
- OFAC Sanctions China-based Procurement Network Supporting North Korea’s Ballistic Missile and Space Programs: OFAC on July 24 sanctioned a network of six individuals and five entities based in the People’s Republic of China, involved in the procurement of items supporting the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s ballistic missile and space programs. OFAC designated members of the Shi Qianpei Network including its leader, Shi Qianpei, his wife Chen Tianxin, his father Shi Anhui, and employees Du Jiaxin and Wang Dongliang. Also designated is Han Dejian, Shi Qianpei’s supplier of metal alloys sheets. The DPRK has continued to conduct launches using ballistic missile technology, including a recent failed effort to place a military satellite into orbit in late May 2024. Moreover, the DPRK has supplied ballistic missiles to the Russian Federation, which continues to target civilian population centers and infrastructure in Ukraine, sustaining Russia’s brutal and unprovoked war. Read more.
Congo-related Sanctions
- OFAC Sanctions Rebel Alliance Driving Instability in the Congo: OFAC on July 25 imposed sanctions on the Congo River Alliance, known by its French name Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), a coalition of rebel groups that seeks to overthrow the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and is driving political instability, violent conflict, and civilian displacement. The principal member of AFC is the U.S.- and UN-sanctioned March 23 Movement (M23), an armed group with a long history of destabilizing the DRC’s North Kivu province and perpetrating human rights abuses. OFAC is also targeting individuals and entities associated with AFC, including Bertrand Bisimwa, the president of M23; Twirwaneho, an AFC-affiliated armed group in the DRC’s South Kivu province; and Charles Sematama, a commander and deputy military leader of Twirwaneho. OFAC also redesignated Corneille Yobeluo Nangaa (Nangaa), who launched AFC alongside the leaders of M23. Nangaa is the former president of the DRC’s National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) and was originally sanctioned by OFAC in 2019 for engaging in actions or policies that undermine democratic processes or institutions in the DRC. Read more.
Terrorism-related Sanctions
- OFAC Designates ISIS Facilitation Network in Eastern, Central, and Southern Africa: OFAC on July 23 designated a network of three individuals associated with the expanded activities of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on the African continent. OFAC designated Abubakar Swalleh, a South Africa- and Zambia-based ISIS operative; Zayd Gangat, a South Africa-based ISIS facilitator and trainer; and DRC-based Hamidah Nabagala who serves as an intermediary for ISIS financial flows in central Africa. The designees serve as key financiers and trusted operatives, enabling the activities of ISIS and its leaders across Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa. They also serve as critical links between far-flung ISIS operations, including ISIS affiliates in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Mozambique, Somalia, and ISIS cells in South Africa, allowing ISIS leadership to leverage each affiliate’s capabilities to conduct terrorist attacks that undermine peace and security in the region. Read more.
Transnational Criminal Organizations Sanctions Regulations
- OFAC Sanctions Guatemalan Human Smuggling Organization: OFAC on July 25 sanctioned the Lopez Human Smuggling Organization (Lopez HSO), a transnational criminal organization (TCO) based in Guatemala. OFAC designated the leader of the Lopez HSO, Ronaldo Galindo Lopez Escobar, as well as his son, Whiskey Hans Lopez Ambrosio, Lopez Ambrosio’s wife, Karen Stefany Hernandez Vanegas, and five other individuals for conspiracy to transport and harbor undocumented immigrants. Since 2017, the organization has smuggled thousands of individuals from Guatemala, through Mexico, and into the United States. While the organization has operated primarily in New Mexico, Arizona, and California, their operations have also included parts of Texas, along with migrants being transported to Virginia and other states far from the U.S.-Mexico border. Read more.
Illicit Drug-related Sanctions
- OFAC Sanctions CJNG Cell Leaders: OFAC on July 23 sanctioned two Mexican members of Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) and two Mexican companies. CJNG, a Mexico-based criminal organization, is one of the largest producers and traffickers of illicit fentanyl to the United States. OFAC designated Juan Carlos Banuelos Ramirez and Gerardo Rivera Ibarra. The sanctioned Mexican companies are Fornely Lab S.A. de C.V. and Inmobiliaria Universal Deja Vu S.A. de C.V. OFAC coordinated this action with the Government of Mexico, including its financial intelligence unit, La Unidad de Inteligencia Financiera (UIF), as well as U.S. Government partners, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, and Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations. Read more.
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