U.S. Treasury Adds Venezuelan Individuals to Sanctions List

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On July 17, 2025, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) placed several new names on its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List). These actions were announced in the Federal Register on July 21, 2025.

What This Means

When someone is put on the SDN List, all their property and interests in property that are under U.S. control are blocked. People and companies in the U.S. are not allowed to do business with these persons.

Who Was Added?

Six individuals linked to the group “TREN DE ARAGUA” were added to the list. They are:

• Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores (also known as “Nino Guerrero”)
  – Born May 30, 1983, in Maracay, Venezuela
  – Male, Venezuelan citizen
  – Identified by Venezuelan ID V-17367457
• Wendy Marbelys Rios Gomez
  – Born January 21, 1980
  – Female, Venezuelan and Colombian nationality
• Josue Angel Santana Pena (also known as “Santanita”)
  – Born June 26, 1995
  – Male, Venezuelan citizen
• Felix Anner Castillo Rondon (also known as “Arnel” or “Pure Arnel”)
  – Born January 12, 1984
  – Male, Venezuelan citizen, also has links to Peru
  – Identified by Venezuelan ID V-16692836
• Wilmer Jose Perez Castillo (also known as “Wilmer Guayabal”)
  – Born August 19, 1985, in Venezuela
  – Male, Venezuelan citizen
  – Identified by Venezuelan ID V-17789572
• Yohan Jose Romero (also known as “Petrica” or “Johan”)
  – Born October 31, 1977, in Venezuela
  – Male, Venezuelan citizen

Legal Reasons for Sanctions

These individuals were listed due to being owned or controlled by, or acting for or on behalf of, the group TREN DE ARAGUA. This group’s property and interests in property are already blocked under U.S. law.

Sanctions were applied under two main Executive Orders:

• Executive Order 13581, as amended, which targets transnational criminal organizations.
• Executive Order 13224, as amended, which targets those linked to terrorism.

Each person listed faces a secondary sanctions risk under section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886.

Where to Learn More

The full SDN List and more information about these sanctions can be found on the OFAC website at: https://ofac.treasury.gov

Contact Information

For questions, contact OFAC’s Associate Director for Global Targeting at 202-622-2420, or the Assistant Director for Sanctions Compliance at 202-622-2490.

Official Notice Ends

This action was officially signed by Lawrence M. Scheinert, Acting Deputy Director of OFAC. The official record is available in the Federal Register, Volume 90, Number 137, dated July 21, 2025.

Legal Disclaimer

This article includes content collected from the Federal Register (federalregister.gov). The content is not an official government publication. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For case-specific consultation, please contact us. Read our full Legal Disclaimer, which also includes information on translation accuracy.