The Office of Foreign Assets Control has issued a November 18, 2011 updated list of all currently authorized Carrier Service Providers, Travel Service Providers, and Remittance Forwarders for Cuba.
On November 17, 2011, the Office of Foreign Assets Control issued new General License No. 5 under the Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferators Sanctions Regulations. The new license authorizes certain transactions related to the arrest, detention, and judicial sale of the MV Dianthe (f.k.a. Horsham, f.k.a. Iran Bam, IMO No. 9323833), which is a vessel on OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list. The vessel is currently under arrest in Mundra, India.
On November 18, 2011, the Office of Foreign Assets Control removed 41 companies from its "Specially Designated Nationals" List pursuant to Libya General Licenses 7A and 8A. OFAC also issued General License No. 9 in order to remove the General National Maritime Transport Company. SDNs are (i) individuals and companies owned or controlled by, or acting for or on behalf of, targeted countries or (ii) individuals, groups, and entities, such as terrorists and narcotics traffickers designated under programs that are not country-specific. The assets of listed SDNs are blocked and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from dealing with them.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control has issued a notice detailing the May and August 2011 State Department sanctions against seven firms that OFAC is responsible for implementing. The seven companies were determined to have engaged in sanctionable activities related to Iran’s petroleum sector under Section 5(a) of the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA), as amended by the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act (CISADA) of 2010.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control has announced civil penalties of $15,000 for a Minnesota company and $5,400 for an Alabama company for separate violations of the Iran Transaction Regulations. OFAC determined that both companies did not voluntarily disclose these matters to OFAC and that the apparent violations constituted non-egregious cases. Civil penalties for both companies were lower than the base penalty for the alleged violations.
On November 3, 2011, the Office of Foreign Assets Control removed one container vessel from its "Specially Designated Nationals" List. The removed vessel is Mekong Spirit container ship, Cyprus flag (Hafiz Darya Shipping Company) [NPWMD]. In addition, changes have been made to the entry for the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (aka IRI Shipping Lines, aka IRISL, aka IRISL Group) (Tehran, Iran)[NPWMD]. SDNs are (i) individuals and companies owned or controlled by, or acting for or on behalf of, targeted countries or (ii) individuals, groups, and entities, such as terrorists and narcotics traffickers designated under programs that are not country-specific. The assets of listed SDNs are blocked and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from dealing with them.
On November 1, 2011, the Office of Foreign Assets Control has added one individual and removed another from its "Specially Designated Nationals" List. Mali Khan (aka Madi Khan) of Afghanistan [SDGT] has been added and Shamil Salmanovich Basayev of Russia [SDGT] has been removed. SDNs are (i) individuals and companies owned or controlled by, or acting for or on behalf of, targeted countries or (ii) individuals, groups, and entities, such as terrorists and narcotics traffickers designated under programs that are not country-specific. The assets of listed SDNs are blocked and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from dealing with them.
The State Department has issued a final rule, effective November 4, 2011, that amends the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to reflect modifications to the United Nations Security Council arms embargo of Libya adopted in September 2011.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control has sanctioned a key Sinaloa Cartel lieutenant, Martin Guadencio Avendano Ojeda, his two brothers, Hector Manuel and Sergio Avendano Ojeda, and two companies, Autos Mini, a car dealership in Ensenada, Baja California owned by Martin Guadencio Avendano Ojeda, and Autodromo Culiacan, an auto race track located in Culiacan, Sinaloa owned by Martin and his brother Hector Manuel Avendano. As a result of these designations, U.S. persons are prohibited from engaging in transactions with the designees and any assets they may have under U.S. jurisdiction are frozen.
On October 27, 2011, the Office of Foreign Assets Control made a number of changes to its "Specially Designated Nationals" List. SDNs are (i) individuals and companies owned or controlled by, or acting for or on behalf of, targeted countries or (ii) individuals, groups, and entities, such as terrorists and narcotics traffickers designated under programs that are not country-specific. The assets of listed SDNs are blocked and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from dealing with them.