Treasury Sanctions Syria-based Transnational Human Smuggling Organization Involved in Smuggling Migrants to the United States

April 18, 2018

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Syrian national Nasif Barakat and the Barakat Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO) pursuant to Executive Order 13581, “Blocking Property of Transnational Criminal Organizations.” The Barakat TCO is a human smuggling organization based in Homs, Syria, that facilitates the smuggling of Syrian and Lebanese nationals to the United States border using a variety of travel routes. Since 2013, the Barakat TCO has facilitated the smuggling of hundreds of individuals to the Southwest border of the United States. Nasif Barakat is being designated for materially assisting, sponsoring, or providing financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, the Barakat TCO, and for acting on behalf of the Barakat TCO.

https:// home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm0351