The Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation division has identified nearly 50 people and entities for potential Russia-related sanctions violations as of September, the agency said in its annual report released last week. The division said it has worked as a “key player” in U.S. sanctions-related enforcement efforts against Russia, and its report includes several case examples of sanctions investigations, including its efforts that led to the September indictment of Viktor Zelinger, an alleged leader of an Eastern European organized crime syndicate linked to “high-level Russian mafia members.” An IRS official told reporters during a news conference last week that the agency has so far opened 20 criminal investigations into Russian sanctions evasion attempts, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The U.S. and Canada designated two Haitian nationals for their connection to illicit narcotics trafficking, the countries said Nov. 4. The two designees are Joseph Lambert, the sitting president of the Haitian Senate who has held political positions in Haiti for 20 years, and Youri Latortue, a former Haitian senator and a longtime politician.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control designated members of an international oil smuggling network that facilitated oil trades and generated revenue for Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), according to a Nov. 3 OFAC notice.

President Joe Biden this week extended for one year beyond Nov. 3 a national emergency that authorizes certain sanctions related to Sudan. The White House said Sudan made "strides in its transition toward democracy between 2019 and 2021, but the October 2021 military takeover of the government reversed those modest gains."

The Office of Foreign Assets Control has sanctioned eight individuals connected with weapons trafficking in Somalia, according to a Nov. 1 notice. The action targets Islamic State in Somalia and its network of weapons traffickers, their associates, and an affiliated business that have "facilitated weapons transfers to multiple terrorist groups" and follows up on the recent designations of al-Shabaab financial facilitators and weapons smugglers (see 2210170069), OFAC said. These networks operate primarily between Yemen and Somalia and have strong ties to al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula and al-Shabaab. OFAC also designated an ISIS supporter in Brazil, who the office says has attempted to serve as a liaison between terrorist groups.

Canada on Oct. 31 imposed new sanctions against Iran for human rights violations by its government, including its recent crackdown on women and peaceful protesters. The sanctions target Hossein Rahimi, a police commander; Ahmad Fazelian, deputy attorney general; Asadollah Jafari, head of the Judicial Administration in the North Khorasan Province; and Seyed Morteza Mousavi, deputy head of the Judicial Administration in the Mazandaran Province. Also sanctioned were two entities: Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces and Al-Mustafa International University, which “spreads the regime’s ideology abroad through its global branches.”

The Office of Foreign Assets Control has updated its Frequently Asked Questions to give additional guidance regarding the transport of Russian crude oil prior to the implementation of the oil price cap. FAQ 1094, issued Oct. 31, explains that Russian-origin crude oil loaded onto a vessel for maritime transport prior to Dec. 5 will not be subject to the price cap (also known as the “maritime services policy”) provided that the oil is unloaded at the port of destination prior to 12:01 a.m. EST, Jan. 19, 2023.

The State Department recently added five people as Specially Designated Global Terrorists, according to a notice released Oct. 28. The designations apply to: Mohamed Mire, Yasir Jiis, Yusuf Ahmed Hajji Nurow, Mohamoud Abdi Aden and Mustaf 'Ato, leaders of the sanctioned al-Shabaab group.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control last week imposed sanctions on 15 Khordad Foundation, an Iranian organization responsible for the bounty on author Salman Rushdie. 15 Khordad Foundation has "committed millions of dollars" toward a bounty on the author since 1989 and has raised the bounty amount several times, most recently to $3.3 million, OFAC said in an Oct. 28 news release. The foundation, along with other Iranian entities, has led to the death and injury of several people associated with Rushdie, including writers, translators and publishers, OFAC said.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned nine people and 12 entities this week in an effort to counter "persistent malign influence campaigns and systemic corruption in Moldova" by Russian actors, the agency said.