The incoming Joe Biden administration is planning a “top-to-bottom review” of sanctions operations, programs, budgets and staffing levels at the Treasury Department, Bloomberg reported Dec. 8. It said Adewale Adeyemo, Biden’s pick for deputy treasury secretary, will lead the review. Adeyemo will address “staffing issues” and consider increasing the budget for the Terrorism and Financial Intelligence unit, which oversees the Office of Foreign Assets Control. A Biden transition team spokesperson didn’t comment. OFAC lost a record number of employees last year, which has led to longer processing times and an influx of inexperienced officials (see 2010290028).

The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Dec. 7 issued two new frequently asked questions and updated four additional FAQs related to a January executive order that expanded U.S. sanctions authority against Iran (see 2001100050). The two new FAQs clarify whether transactions related to international organizations and Iran’s participation in international legal proceedings are subject to secondary sanctions.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued two sets of sanctions, one targeting Iran’s military, the other shipping companies transporting North Korean coal. The Dec. 8 announcements target two people, seven entities and four vessels.

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The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Shahid Meisami Group and its director, Mehran Babri, for their involvement in Iranian chemical weapons research, OFAC said Dec. 3. The agency said Shahid Meisami Group works under the U.S.-sanctioned Iranian Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, known as SPND, and is responsible for “numerous” government projects, including the production of chemical agents. The U.S. says SPND works on the Iranian regime’s proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Lucio Rodriguez Serrano as a Specially Designated Narcotics Trafficker for working on behalf of Mexican drug trafficker Rafael Caro Quintero, OFAC said Dec. 2. OFAC said Serrano and Quintero are “lifelong friends” and Serrano has helped Quintero evade capture from U.S. authorities. Quintero is on the FBI’s most-wanted list. Timothy Shea, acting administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, said arresting Quintero is a “top priority” for the DEA. “Today’s action by Treasury is an important step in our joint mission to disrupt, dismantle, and destroy violent drug trafficking organizations and in bringing Caro Quintero to justice,” Shea said. OFAC also deleted six Mexico and Colombia-related sanctions entries and revised one Mexico-related entry.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Jhon Fredy Zapata Garzon for supporting Clan del Golfo, a prominent drug trafficking and criminal group in Colombia, OFAC said Dec. 1. The agency also sanctioned three of Garzon’s family members and associates -- Tatiana Marguerid Zapata Garzon, Euclides Correa Salas and Einer Murillo Palacios -- and four businesses owned or controlled by Garzon and his associates -- Las Ingenierias S.A.S., Fresno Home S.A.S., Distriecor S.A.S. and Multioperaciones de Occidente S.A.S., which are used to launder money for Garzon’s drug trafficking.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned the China National Electronics Import & Export Corp. (CEIEC), a Chinese state-owned company that exports advanced technologies and technical expertise globally, OFAC said Nov. 30. The agency designated CEIEC for selling technology, software and training to Venezuelan government entities, which then use the products to bolster the Nicolas Maduro regime’s “malicious cyber efforts.”

The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned the Kaniyat militia and its leader, Mohamed al-Kani, for serious human rights abuses, according to a Nov. 25 press release. Al-Kani and the militia are responsible for numerous civilian executions and other human rights violations in Libya, OFAC said.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control published a notice Nov. 30 listing three previously issued Venezuela-related general licenses that contain authorizations related to Petroleos de Venezuela. In addition to the current General License 5E, the notice contains general licenses 5C and 5D, both of which were superseded by GL 5E, which was issued in October (see 2010060036). The authorizations in GL 5E will become effective Jan. 19, 2021.