Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Dec 12: In a fresh diplomatic escalation, the United States on Thursday announced new sanctions targeting three nephews of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, along with a Panamanian businessman, six firms, and six Venezuela-flagged oil vessels. The move comes as part of Washington’s intensified pressure campaign against the Maduro regime.
The sanctions, imposed on Franqui Flores, Carlos Flores and Efrain Campo, were announced just a day after U.S. authorities intercepted and seized an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast.
The U.S. Treasury also sanctioned Ramon Carretero, a Panamanian businessman accused of facilitating oil shipments for the Venezuelan government. Officials allege Carretero maintained close business ties with the Maduro-Flores family, partnering with them in multiple companies involved in transporting Venezuelan oil.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) released the full sanctions list on Thursday.
The sanctions effectively block access to any property, funds, or assets the individuals or companies hold in the United States. American citizens, companies, banks and financial institutions are prohibited from doing business with the sanctioned parties. Violators risk severe penalties or enforcement action.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent issued a strongly worded statement, accusing the Venezuelan government of contributing to America’s drug crisis.
“Nicola´s Maduro and his criminal associates in Venezuela are flooding the United States with drugs that are poisoning the American people,” Bessent said.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, Treasury is holding the regime and its circle of cronies and companies accountable.”
This is not the first time Maduro’s relatives have found themselves at the center of a diplomatic confrontation. In October 2022, Venezuela released seven imprisoned Americans in exchange for the U.S. freeing Flores and Campo, who were convicted in New York in 2016 on narcotics trafficking charges. They were arrested in a DEA sting operation in Haiti in 2015.
Carlos Flores had previously appeared on the U.S. sanctions list in 2017 but was removed in 2022 during the Biden administration’s efforts to encourage democratic negotiations in Venezuela.
The latest sanctions coincide with a series of deadly U.S. strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific. Since early September, these operations have reportedly killed at least 87 people, with former President Trump describing the attacks as a “necessary escalation” to curb drug trafficking.
Trump has maintained that the U.S. is in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, justifying the aggressive maritime operations.