Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Treasury Department announced on Tuesday the imposition of sanctions on 10 individuals, entities, and vessels, including tanker captains, involved 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. Among the sanctioned entities is the network of Houthi financial facilitator Sa’id al-Jamal, marking the seventh round of sanctions against him.
“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 Brian E. Nelson, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.
Nelson emphasized the U.S. government’s commitment to disrupting and degrading the Houthis’ ability to engage in attacks against commercial shipping and naval vessels, referencing recent military strikes.
In addition, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on members of one of Guyana’s wealthiest families, Nazar Mohamed and his son Azruddin Mohamed, their company Mohamed’s Enterprise, and Guyanese government official Mae Thomas for their roles in public corruption in Guyana. Two other entities, Hadi’s World and Team Mohamed’s Racing Team, were also sanctioned for being owned or controlled by Mohamed’s Enterprise and Azruddin, respectively.
Nelson stated that the U.S. 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,” the statement said. “These small, family-owned businesses have informal relationships with larger purchasers and traders like Mohamed’s Enterprise.”
The statement added that once mined, Guyanese gold is sold and traded throughout international markets, including the United States, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, and the European Union.–News Desk