The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions today on ten individuals, entities, and vessels involved in the illicit transport of oil and other commodities for the Houthi network facilitated by Sa’id al-Jamal. The action targets maritime shipping and financial facilitators, vessel managers, owners, and a company involved in forging shipping documents.
“The Houthis continue to leverage an expansive support network to facilitate their illicit activities,” said Brian E. Nelson, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. “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.”
This move marks the seventh round of sanctions targeting Sa’id al-Jamal's network since October 2023. The designations were made under Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as amended.
Sa’id al-Jamal was designated under E.O. 13224 on June 10, 2021, for supporting Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Qods Force (IRGC-QF). The IRGC-QF has been designated since October 25, 2007, for supporting multiple terrorist groups. The U.S. Department of State's designation of Ansarallah (the Houthis) as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group became effective on February 16, 2024.
Al-Jamal uses foreign shipping firms to sell and transport commodities to various jurisdictions including China and Syria. UAE- and Oman-based Shark International Shipping L.L.C., led by John Britto Aruldhas, provided forged shipping documents for Houthi shipments.
India-based Rayyan Shipping (OPC) Private Limited managed the Guyana-flagged vessel OLYMPICS (IMO: 9212759), captained by Vivek Ashok Pandey. This vessel operated with falsified paperwork indicating it carried Malaysian commodities.
Additionally, OFAC designated ‘Abdallah Najib Ahmad al-Jamal for managing money laundering operations within Sa’id al-Jamal's network. He collaborated with U.S.-designated money launderer Bilal Hudroj and Yemeni exchange houses Davos Company for Exchange and Transfers and Al-Rawda Exchange and Money Transfers Company.
Other entities sanctioned include Hong Kong-based Lainey Shipping Limited and Panama-based Louis Marine Shipholding Enterprises S.A., which own vessels carrying sanctioned cargo on behalf of Hizballah-owned Concepto Screen SAL Off-Shore to Southeast Asia.
Sandeep Singh Choudhary was also designated as he captained LA PEARL (also known as ELITE), which delivered sanctioned cargo off China's coast.
As a result of these sanctions, all property related to these persons within U.S. jurisdiction is blocked. Transactions involving these entities are generally prohibited unless authorized by OFAC or exempted by its regulations.
OFAC emphasized that its sanctions aim not just to punish but to bring about positive behavioral change. Information regarding removal from an OFAC list can be found in OFAC’s Frequently Asked Question 897.
For more details on today's designations click here.
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