TITLE: United States Office of Foreign Assets Control Designates Transnational Criminal Organization Members and Cuban Entities
BODY:
On June 23, 2026, the United States Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) updated its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List), adding individuals and entities linked to transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and the Cuban regime, while removing Russia-related designations.
OFAC added eight individuals to the SDN List, including members of the Prince Group TCO operating across Cambodia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom. Designated individuals include Chen Bo, Dai An, Fang Zhizhen, and others involved in scam operations targeting Americans. OFAC also designated one individual, Annalie Lilliam Rueda Cardero, under Cuba-related sanctions for links to the Castro regime. Additionally, OFAC removed four Russian individuals from the SDN List: Anton Alekseevich Krugovov, Tamara Aleksandrovna Topchi, and Natalya Vladislavovna Puzyrnikova, all previously designated under Executive Order 14024.
OFAC designated 38 entities across multiple jurisdictions, including financial institutions, telecommunications companies, real estate firms, and restaurants. Key designations include CCU Commercial Bank Plc. in Cambodia, Banco Financiero Internacional S.A. in Cuba, and multiple UK-based entities linked to TCO members Kong Ka On and Hu Xiaowei. OFAC also issued TCO General License 2, authorizing the wind down of transactions involving CCU Commercial Bank Plc.
In coordination with the United Kingdom's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), OFAC published a joint comparative guidance document assisting the private sector in understanding obligations under both U.S. and UK sanctions regimes, covering sanctions lists, available licenses, and recordkeeping requirements.
REFERENCES:
Office of Foreign Assets Control. (June 23, 2026). Transnational Criminal Organizations Designations; Cuba Designations; Russia-related Designations Removals; Issuance of TCO-related General License; Publication of OFAC-OFSI Comparative Overview. Retrieved from https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases