The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has intensified pressure on the Venezuelan regime by imposing new sanctions against three nephews of Nicolás Maduro, a businessman close to him, and six companies involved in transporting Venezuelan oil.
Source: Bukvy
The restrictions were announced by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, accusing Maduro of leading a “drug-trafficking terrorist organization.” According to him, Maduro and his associates are flooding the U.S. with drugs that harm the American people.
The sanctions include a ban on access to the U.S. banking system and asset freezes. Those affected are:
- Efraín Antonio Campo Flores and Franki Francisco Flores de Freitas — nephews of Maduro’s wife, previously convicted in the U.S. for cocaine trafficking and pardoned by Biden in 2022;
- Carlos Erik Malpica Flores — nephew linked to the state oil company PDVSA;
- Ramon Carretero Napolitano — a Panamanian businessman involved in the oil sector.
Additionally, sanctions were imposed on six shipping companies that allegedly transported Venezuelan oil in violation of restrictions. These steps came one day after the U.S. seized the tanker Skipper, which was carrying 1.8 million barrels of oil to Cuba.
Bessent noted that the sanctions nullify the Biden administration’s failed attempt to reach an agreement with Maduro. A Trump administration insider told Axios that this is not the end of the pressure: the Maduro regime has a choice — to stop drug trafficking, corruption, and dictatorship or pay a high price.