Nicaragua-related Designations; Issuance of Nicaragua-related General License

Treasury Press Release: Treasury Sanctions Government Officials, Nicaraguan Regime-Linked Gold Firms, and Individuals Involved in Seizing U.S.-Owned Property

Additions:

The following individuals have been added to OFAC’s SDN List:

OFAC Program: NICARAGUA    Executive Order 13851

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BERMUDEZ TAPIA, Santiago Hernan

• Address: Managua, Nicaragua
• DOB: 17 Mar 1970
• POB: Managua, Nicaragua
• Nationality: Nicaragua
• Gender: Male
• National ID No.: 0011703700021R (Nicaragua)
• Party Type: Individual

Supplemental Information: Santiago Hernan Bermudez Tapia is the Vice Minister of Energy and Mines of Nicaragua. He was designated pursuant to E.O. 13851, as amended, for being an official of the Government of Nicaragua. The press release describes him as one of the frontmen underpinning the Murillo-Ortega regime’s illicit gold scheme.

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BIAN, Feiwu (Chinese Simplified: 卞飞武)

• AKA: 卞飞武
• Address: Managua, Nicaragua; Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
• DOB: 01 Jan 1971
• POB: Fujian Province, China
• Nationality: China
• Gender: Male
• Passport: EE3584492 (China) issued 14 Sep 2018 expires 13 Sep 2028
• Residency Number: 000126493 (Nicaragua)
• alt. Residency Number: 000081565 (Nicaragua)
• Party Type: Individual

Supplemental Information: Feiwu Bian is the president and legal representative of Zhong Fu Development S.A. He was identified as one of the individuals involved in the forcible occupation of the plant belonging to BHMB Mining Nicaragua S.A. (BHMB), a Nicaraguan company founded in 2019 with foreign investment from a U.S. company. Representatives associated with the Murillo-Ortega dictatorship broke into BHMB’s facility, expelled security personnel, and assumed physical control of the property. BHMB has reportedly received no compensation for the seizure, and the Government of Nicaragua only recently formally rescinded BHMB’s license to operate. Bian was designated for acting for or on behalf of Zhong Fu and for operating in the gold sector of the Nicaraguan economy.

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MATUS BUITRAGO, Anibal Vladimir

• Address: Managua, Nicaragua
• DOB: 25 Jan 1984
• POB: Managua, Nicaragua
• Nationality: Nicaragua
• Gender: Male
• National ID No.: 001-250184-0016P (Nicaragua)
• Party Type: Individual

Supplemental Information: Anibal Vladimir Matus Buitrago is a legal representative of Zhong Fu Development S.A. He was also identified as one of the individuals involved in the forcible occupation of BHMB Mining Nicaragua S.A.’s gold processing plant. He was designated for acting for or on behalf of Zhong Fu and for operating in the gold sector of the Nicaraguan economy.

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MATUS TAMARIZ, Lester

• Address: Managua, Nicaragua
• DOB: 20 Jun 1959
• POB: Managua, Nicaragua
• Nationality: Nicaragua
• Gender: Male
• National ID No.: 001-200659-0051K (Nicaragua)
• Party Type: Individual
• Linked To:
  • ZHONG FU DEVELOPMENT S.A.

Supplemental Information: Lester Matus Tamariz is an attorney whose notary public services facilitated and expedited the transfer of mining concessions to Zhong Fu Development S.A. He was designated for acting for or on behalf of Zhong Fu.

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ORTEGA MURILLO, Daniel Edmundo

• Address: Managua, Nicaragua
• DOB: 30 Jan 1980
• POB: Managua, Nicaragua
• Nationality: Nicaragua
• Gender: Male
• National ID No.: 0013001800039W (Nicaragua)
• Party Type: Individual

Supplemental Information: Daniel Edmundo Ortega Murillo is a son of co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, and serves as the head of the Communication and Citizenship Council of Nicaragua. He was designated for being an official of the Government of Nicaragua. The press release notes that the Murillo-Ortega dictatorship has turned the Nicaraguan state into a family instrument, with adult children including previously sanctioned son Laureano Ortega Murillo (sanctioned April 17, 2019) appointed to key government positions.

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ORTEGA MURILLO, Maurice Facundo

• Address: Managua, Nicaragua
• DOB: 01 Jul 1985
• POB: Managua, Nicaragua
• Nationality: Nicaragua
• Gender: Male
• National ID No.: 0010107850028J (Nicaragua)
• Party Type: Individual

Supplemental Information: Maurice Facundo Ortega Murillo is a son of co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, and serves as the Nicaraguan Presidential Delegate for Sports. He is tasked with overseeing the Nicaraguan Institute of Sports and its leadership and promoting the public image of his parents in that sphere. He was designated for being an official of the Government of Nicaragua.

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SOBALVARRO, Nelson Francisco

• Address: Managua, Nicaragua
• DOB: 22 Nov 1976
• POB: Jinotega, Nicaragua
• Nationality: Nicaragua
• Gender: Male
• Passport: C03238305 (Nicaragua) issued 19 Jan 2023 expires 19 Jan 2033
• National ID No.: 2412211760007F (Nicaragua)
• Party Type: Individual

Supplemental Information: Nelson Francisco Sobalvarro is the legal representative of previously sanctioned Compania Minera Internacional, Sociedad Anonima (COMINTSA), with general power of attorney. He transferred COMINTSA’s mining concessions to Zhong Fu Development S.A. prior to COMINTSA’s sanctions designation, and to Thomas Metal S.A. after COMINTSA was sanctioned on May 15, 2024. He was designated for acting for or on behalf of COMINTSA and for operating in the gold sector of the Nicaraguan economy.

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The following entities have been added to OFAC’s SDN List:

OFAC Program: NICARAGUA    Executive Order 13851

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BROTHER METAL S.A.

• Address: Managua, Nicaragua
• Organization Type: Mining of other non-ferrous metal ores
• Company Number: MC-XH6YJV (Nicaragua)

Supplemental Information: Brother Metal S.A. is a Nicaraguan gold firm that has been granted tens of thousands of acres in mineral concessions by the Murillo-Ortega regime, despite having little to no history of gold exploration in Nicaragua. It was designated for operating in the gold sector of the Nicaraguan economy.

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EXPORTADORA DE METALES SOCIEDAD ANONIMA

• AKA: “EMSA”
• Address: Planes de Altamira Primera Etapa Edificio #110, Costado Este del Centro Financiero Pellas, Managua, Nicaragua
• Website: www.emsanic.com
• Organization Established Date: 10 Oct 2019
• Organization Type: Mining and Quarrying
• alt. Organization Type: Wholesale of jewelry, watches, precious stones, and precious metals
• RUC #: J0310000287228 (Nicaragua)
• Public Registration Number: MG00-22-003646 (Nicaragua)
• License: 21821 (Nicaragua)
• Business Number: MC-3CB18Z (Nicaragua)
• alt. Business Number: UAF-RSO-C-XII-423-2019 (Nicaragua)

Supplemental Information: EMSA is a Managua-based company that sells gold in bulk in the United States. It is one of multiple enterprises organized by the Nicaraguan government to generate revenues for government use. EMSA collects unrefined gold from six different locations in Nicaragua to smelt at its Managua headquarters. The profits from gold sales have been electronically transferred to a bank account in Managua, which has potentially been used to equip, train, and pay the salaries of Nicaraguan paramilitary groups subordinate to the Nicaraguan government. It was designated for operating in the gold sector of the Nicaraguan economy. OFAC simultaneously issued Nicaragua-related General License 5, “Authorizing the Wind Down of Transactions Involving Exportadora de Metales Sociedad Anonima,” to allow for an orderly wind-down of prior U.S. business dealings.

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GRUPO MINERO XILOA S.A.

• AKA: GRUMIXSA
• Address: Managua, Nicaragua
• Organization Type: Mining of other non-ferrous metal ores
• Company Number: MC-XFBSJ5 (Nicaragua)

Supplemental Information: Grupo Minero Xiloa S.A. (Minero) became more prominent after OFAC sanctioned COMINTSA and Capital Mining Investment Nicaragua on May 15, 2024. Minero buys artisanal gold in cash, processes it, and exports it through a network of allied Nicaraguan companies, using the U.S. financial system to legitimize illicit funds. These resources are then used to finance the regime’s repressive operations and maintain the political machinery that ensures its hold on power. Multiple former officials from U.S.-sanctioned entities ENIMINAS, Caruna, and Albanisa are now involved in Minero. It was designated for operating in the gold sector of the Nicaraguan economy.

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NICARAGUA XINXIN LINZE MINERIA GROUP S.A.

• Address: Managua, Nicaragua
• Organization Type: Mining of other non-ferrous metal ores
• Company Number: MC-9AF3ECG (Nicaragua)

Supplemental Information: Nicaragua Xinxin Linze Mineria Group S.A. (Xinxin) is a Nicaraguan gold firm that has been granted tens of thousands of acres in mineral concessions by the Murillo-Ortega regime. Xinxin has been identified as having shipped over $25 million in gold to the United States in early to mid-2025. It was designated for operating in the gold sector of the Nicaraguan economy.

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SANTA RITA MINING COMPANY S.A.

• Address: Managua, Nicaragua
• Organization Type: Mining of other non-ferrous metal ores
• Company Number: MC-3CB247 (Nicaragua)

Supplemental Information: Santa Rita Mining Company S.A. is a Nicaraguan gold firm that has been granted thousands of acres in concessions for the extraction of minerals by the Murillo-Ortega regime. Santa Rita was among the companies linked to the regime that took part in the forcible seizure of BHMB Mining Nicaragua S.A.’s gold processing plant. It was designated for operating in the gold sector of the Nicaraguan economy.

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THOMAS METAL S.A.

• Address: Managua, Nicaragua
• Organization Type: Mining of other non-ferrous metal ores
• Company Number: MC-XGU17P (Nicaragua)

Supplemental Information: Thomas Metal S.A. is a Nicaraguan gold firm that has been granted tens of thousands of acres in mineral concessions by the Murillo-Ortega regime. It received COMINTSA’s mining concessions after COMINTSA was sanctioned, transferred by designated individual Nelson Francisco Sobalvarro. It was designated for operating in the gold sector of the Nicaraguan economy.

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ZHONG FU DEVELOPMENT S.A.

• Address: Managua, Nicaragua
• Organization Type: Mining of other non-ferrous metal ores
• Company Number: MC-XFZRH1 (Nicaragua)

Supplemental Information: Zhong Fu Development S.A. is a Nicaraguan gold firm that primarily operates in the Nicaraguan gold trade. It was among the companies linked to the Murillo-Ortega regime that took part in the forcible seizure of BHMB Mining Nicaragua S.A.’s gold processing plant. Designated attorney Lester Matus Tamariz used his notary public services to facilitate and expedite the transfer of mining concessions to Zhong Fu, and designated Nelson Francisco Sobalvarro transferred COMINTSA’s mining concessions to Zhong Fu prior to COMINTSA’s sanctions designation. Designated individuals Feiwu Bian (president and legal representative) and Anibal Vladimir Matus Buitrago (legal representative) were both identified as participants in the occupation of BHMB’s plant. Zhong Fu was designated for operating in the gold sector of the Nicaraguan economy.