OFAC is the U.S. Department of the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control, which designs and enforces U.S. economic and trade sanctions. An OFAC designation (e.g., onto the SDN or other sanctions lists) means the designated persons or entitys property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction are "blocked" (i.e., frozen), U.S. persons are generally prohibited from dealing with them, and transactions require OFAC authorization. Designations can also trigger secondary effects for foreign banks and businesses (loss of access to U.S. dollar clearing, correspondent relationships, and reputational/contracting limits).
Executive Order 14059 (Dec. 15, 2021) is the presidential order titled "Imposing Sanctions on Foreign Persons Involved in the Global Illicit Drug Trade." It authorizes sanctions (including blocking property, restricting transactions, and related measures) against foreign persons involved in the global illicit drug tradeincluding producers, traffickers, facilitators, and those who launder or otherwise move illicit drug proceeds (including fentanyl and other controlled substances). The EO is implemented by OFAC and can be used with other authorities (IEEPA, NEA) and coordinated with other U.S. tools (e.g., visa restrictions).
When OFAC blocks property it is designated as "blocked" and all property and interests in property of the designated person that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be frozen and reported. U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with blocked parties absent an OFAC license. Non-U.S. persons and foreign businesses are not directly exempt: they risk secondary sanctions, loss of access to U.S. banks and dollar clearing, and contractual/operational disruption if they transact with designated parties; they must conduct enhanced compliance (screening, refusing prohibited payments). OFACs "50% rule" also blocks firms 50%+ owned by blocked persons. Licenses, penalties, and enforcement apply as set out in OFAC guidance.
The SDN List (Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List) is OFACs public list of individuals, entities, vessels, and aircraft owned or controlled by, or acting for or on behalf of, sanctioned targets; SDNss U.S.-located assets are blocked and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from dealing with them. To seek removal (delisting) a person or entity can file a petition for reconsideration with OFAC (submit evidence showing why the listing is erroneous or no longer appropriate); OFAC reviews petitions and posts decision or removal guidance. Detailed instructions and forms are on OFACs petitions/removal pages.
Extradition processes differ by country but share common steps. From Costa Rica: the U.S. submits a formal extradition request to Costa Rican authorities, supported by probable cause and case documents; Costa Rican prosecutors and courts review the request, may hold extradition hearings, and the Justice Ministry or President signs the extradition order; Costa Rican law enforcement may arrest and hold the suspect pending judicial review and transfer. From the United Kingdom: the U.S. sends a formal request under the U.S.-U.K. extradition treaty (or via the U.K.s Extradition Act); U.K. courts review legality, human-rights and specialty assurances, and the Home Secretary orders surrender if requirements met; the process can include appeals before surrender. Timeframes and evidentiary standards vary; diplomatic assurances, dual criminality, and defendants rights are key. (Practically, arrests abroad often follow cooperation between U.S. and local law enforcement, and formal treaty procedures complete the transfer.)
U.S. Treasury/OFAC designations coordinated with Costa Rican law enforcement support on-the-ground policing by identifying and freezing the networks financial infrastructure, enabling local seizures and arrests, and prompting asset forfeiture and regulatory actions (e.g., suspending implicated businesses). That financial-pressure approach raises the cost and risk of operating for traffickers, disrupts cash flows, and helps investigators target logisticians, front companies, and money-laundering channels. However, interdiction impacts on trafficking routes are often dynamic: traffickers can shift routes, use new intermediaries, or decentralize operations, so long-term changes require sustained policing, anti-corruption, and financial-intelligence work. The Treasury action typically complements arrests and seizures done by Costa Rican agencies and U.S. partners (DEA, HSI) but does not by itself eliminate trafficking routes without ongoing law-enforcement operations and regional cooperation.