When European Union sanctions fell upon the owners of Latvia's Mere retail chain, every store went dark overnight — not through any failure of commerce, but through the sudden reach of geopolitical consequence into the everyday rhythms of food and trade. Suppliers who had built their livelihoods on the assumption of stable retail partnerships found warehouses full of spoiling goods and invoices that no one remained to honor. The Financial Intelligence Unit has since opened a path for reclaiming unspoiled stock, yet the deeper wound — €1.5 million in losses, unresolved debts, and a newly shaken