The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week removed sanctions that had been placed on Claudia Mercedes Vargas Giraldo, who originally was sanctioned in 2017 for counter-narcotics reasons. OFAC had sanctioned her for ties to Juan Santiago Gallon Henao, a Colombian drug trafficker associated with the criminal group La Oficina de Envigado. OFAC didn't provide a reason for the delisting.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned four people in Costa Rica, along with two Costa Rican entities, for their ties to narcotics tracking and money laundering.
The U.K. last week removed Alex Kande Mupompa from its sanctions regime targeting the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mupompa, a DRC official, was sanctioned for alleged human rights violations, including his ties to the "disproportionate use of force, violent repression and extrajudicial killings" by DRC security forces. The U.K. announcement came after an EU court in 2024 annulled Mupompa's designation, according to an unofficial translation.
The U.K., France and Germany will support snapback sanctions against Iran if the country doesn’t agree to safeguards around its nuclear program by the end of this month, the three European nations said last week.
The U.S. this week sanctioned Mexican cartels Carteles Unidos and Los Viagras along with seven people that it said work closely with the cartels and are linked to terrorism, drug trafficking and extortion.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week redesignated Garantex, a virtual currency exchange with operations in Moscow, and sanctioned other companies and people that it said are involved in malicious cyber activities.
The U.K. on Aug. 13 amended the entry for Serbian national Marko Petrovic, member of the Kavac Gang, under the U.K.'s sanctions regime meant to combat global irregular migration and trafficking in persons. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation noted in the listing that Petrovic has been convicted of violent behavior and an "endangerment-related" offense in Serbia.
China this week sanctioned two European banks in retaliation for the EU earlier this year designating Chinese financial institutions for doing business with Russia (see 2507180017). The announcement blocks Chinese companies and people from participating in transactions or other "activities" with Lithuanian banks AB Urbo Bankas and AB Mano Banka, the ministry said Aug. 13, according to an unofficial translation.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a new general license this week to authorize certain transactions related to the Trump administration's planned meeting with Russian officials this week in Alaska. General License 125 authorizes transactions that are "ordinarily incident and necessary to the attendance at or support of meetings" between the two countries. Those transactions are authorized through 12:01 a.m. ET on Aug. 20.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned four people in Mexico and 13 Mexican companies for their involvement in timeshare fraud led by Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion, a criminal group labeled a foreign terrorist organization and specially designated global terrorist by the Trump administration earlier this year (see 2502200019). OFAC said they work out of Puerto Vallarta, a popular Mexican tourist destination, and help to supplement the cartel's drug-trafficking revenue through timeshare fraud and fuel theft.