US imposes sanctions over illicit transport of oil

FILE: Seal on United States Department of the Treasury on the Building. (Photo By MohitSingh/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

ISTANBUL – The US Treasury Department on Tuesday said it imposed sanctions on 10 individuals, entities and vessels, including tanker captains, that have engaged in the illicit transport of oil and other commodities.

The sanctions target maritime shipping and financial facilitators, several vessel managers and owners, and a company involved in forging shipping documents, it said in a statement.

The list also include the network of Houthi financial facilitator Sa’id al-Jamal, which is targeted by sanctions for the seventh round, it added.

“The Houthis continue to leverage an expansive support network to facilitate their illicit activities, including hiding the origin of cargo, forging shipping documents, and providing services to sanctioned vessels,” said Undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson.

“As we demonstrated with our military strikes last week, the United States government is committed to disrupting and degrading the Houthis’ ability to engage in attacks against commercial shipping and naval vessels, as well as target those who seek to facilitate these activities,” he added.

The Treasury Department also imposed sanctions on members of one of Guyana’s wealthiest families, Nazar Mohamed and his son, Azruddin Mohamed, their company Mohamed’s Enterprise, and a Guyanese government official, Mae Thomas, for their roles in public corruption in Guyana.

The sanctions include two other entities, Hadi’s World and Team Mohamed’s Racing Team, for being owned or controlled by Mohamed’s Enterprise and Azruddin, respectively, it said in a separate statement.

Nelson said the US is committed to “holding accountable those who seek to exploit Guyana’s underdeveloped gold sector for personal gain.”

“Gold is one of Guyana’s main exports, but it remains a highly fractured industry, with small-scale gold mining operations in Guyana occupying a majority share of the country’s gold production,” said the statement. “These small, family-owned businesses have informal relationships with larger purchasers and traders like Mohamed’s Enterprise.

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“Once mined, Guyanese gold is sold and traded throughout international markets, including the United States, Canada, the United Arab Emirates and the European Union,” it added.