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Last Week's Major Developments in Sanctions - August 11, 2025, to August 15, 2025

  • Writer: Christopher Roth
    Christopher Roth
  • 3 days ago
  • 3 min read
You can now listen to the audio version of our weekly sanctions updates here.


Monday, August 11

  • The Department of State designated the Pakistan-based Balochistan Liberation Army, also known as The Majeed Brigade, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). Action taken pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and Executive Order 13224. (Here and the State Department press release)


Tuesday, August 12

  • OFAC imposed blocking sanctions against four entities linked to armed group violence and the sale of critical minerals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Sanctions imposed on the Coalition des Patriotes Résistants Congolais-Force de Frappe (PARECO-FF), an armed group with a long history of destabilizing activities in eastern DRC and control of minerals. Other entities are three companies based in DRC and Hong Kong that enable mineral exports. Action taken pursuant of Executive Order 13413, which targets groups that engage in actions or policies that threaten the peace, security, or stability of DRC. (Here, the Treasury Department press release, and the Department of State press release)

  • The DOJ unsealed an indictment of three individuals in U.S. District Court charging them of an alleged conspiracy to transfer funds from the United States to Haiti to fund gang activities in Haiti in violation of U.S. sanctions. (Here)


Wednesday, August 13 

  • OFAC imposed blocking sanctions against four individuals and 13 entities, all Mexican, linked to timeshare fraud led by the Cartel Del Jalisco Nuevo Generation. The cartel is a U.S.-designated FTO that is increasingly supplementing its drug trafficking proceeds with alternative revenue streams. Action taken pursuant of Executive Orders 14059, which targets the proliferation of illicit drugs and their means of production, and 13224, which targets terrorists and their supporters. (Here, the Department of the Treasury press release, and the State Department press release)


Thursday, August 14

  • OFAC imposed blocking sanctions against two Mexican drug cartels, Carteles Unidos and Los Viagras, and seven affiliated individuals linked to terrorism, drug trafficking, and extortion in Mexico’s agricultural sector. Both cartels are designated FTOs. Action taken pursuant of Executive Order 14049, which targets the international proliferation of illicit drugs or their means of production, and  in close coordination with the Department of Justice, Homeland Security Investigations, the DEA, the FBI, and the Unidad de Inteligencia Financiera (UIF), Mexico’s Financial Intelligence Unit. (Here and the Department of the Treasury press release)

  • In parallel, the Department of Justice announced criminal charges against five of the sanctioned individuals for their alleged roles in decades-long conspiracies to manufacture and distribute controlled substances, including methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl, to be unlawfully imported into the United States. (Here) 

  • In addition, the State Department offered rewards totaling $26 million for information leading to the arrests and/or convictions of five leaders of Carteles Unidos. (Here)

  • OFAC imposed blocking sanctions against three individuals and eight entities located in Russia and the Kyrgyz Republic associated with the cryptocurrency exchange Grinex and its predecessor Garantex Europe OU. Sanctions imposed for their role in directly facilitating ransomware actors and other cybercriminals by processing over $100 million in transactions linked to illicit activities since 2019. Action taken pursuant to Executive Order 13694. (Here, the Department of the Treasury press release, and the Department of State press release)


Friday, August 15

  • The U.K. Export Control Joint Unit published a new Ultimate End-User screen for exporters to complete. Screen published to reduce the number of queries on Ultimate End Users. (Here) 


Recommendation of the Week

  • OFSI will hold a webinar on improving  the civil enforcement process for financial sanctions  on Wednesday, September 17 at 2 PM GMT. Register here.  

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