Breakout
Security After Sanctions: Considerations for Venezuela
The introduction of OFAC General U.S. License No. 46 represents a significant and timely shift in U.S. sanctions policy toward Venezuela, reopening limited pathways for compliant engagement in a market that has been largely inaccessible for years. While primarily associated with the energy sector, this development raises important considerations for the physical security industry as U.S. and international enterprises evaluate renewed operations in a highly regulated and operationally complex environment.
This session offers a briefing examining how evolving sanctions policy intersects with real-world security operations. Drawing on sustained, hands-on experience operating in Venezuela during periods of active U.S. sanctions, the session will explore key considerations for security manufacturers, integrators and professional security consultants, including:
- An overview of the Venezuela-related regulatory landscape and OFAC General License No. 46, from a security industry perspective
- Practical operational, logistical, and cultural considerations that directly impact physical security planning and execution
- Infrastructure, workforce, and supply chain realities affecting system deployment and long-term sustainability
- Strategic implications for the global security industry.
Speaker
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Roberto Miguel LarrealFounder and CEO
Smartech SecurityRoberto Miguel Larreal is an international security and infrastructure executive with over 30 years of experience leading complex energy and electronic security projects within the critical infrastructure sector. He is the founder and CEO of Smartech Security Corp., a U.S.-based electronic security integration firm delivering complex, compliance-sensitive solutions across commercial, industrial and government environments throughout the United States and Latin America, including projects aligned with public-sector requirements and broader regulatory frameworks.
In parallel with his leadership at Smartech, Larreal serves as a partner at Fortaleza Advisors, where he supports strategic foreign direct investment initiatives across the energy, technology and security sectors in Latin America. He also holds board positions with Global Solutions & Equipment (GS&E) and Favinca, both established EPC contractors specializing in large-scale infrastructure projects.
Larreal’s career spans decades of hands-on execution across complex and highly regulated environments, with deep expertise in energy infrastructure, extra-high voltage (EHV) power systems, and integrated security technologies. Known for bridging regulatory frameworks with real-world implementation, he brings a unique combination of operational leadership, compliance awareness, and cultural fluency across U.S. and Latin American markets. Larreal is particularly recognized for providing practical, ground-level insight into the operational, logistical and cultural dynamics that shape project success in complex international environments.
Larreal led efforts to secure authorization from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to
conduct activities in Venezuela’s electric infrastructure sector, successfully obtaining and renewing a specific license during a period of active U.S. sanctions. His experience provides a rare, practitioner-level perspective on operating within U.S. regulatory frameworks while executing projects in sanctioned environments, including compliance considerations, licensing pathways and real-world implementation challenges. Larreal is fluent in English and Spanish, can also communicate in Portuguese and Italian and is recognized for his ability to translate complex regulatory, operational and geopolitical challenges into actionable strategies for organizations operating in emerging and constrained environments.
