As the United States ramps up pressure on Caracas, the Trump administration has imposed new sanctions on Venezuela targeting three nephews of President Nicolás Maduro’s wife, Syria Flores, and six oil tanker and shipping companies associated with them.
Two of the sanctioned nephews had been convicted of drug trafficking in the United States before being released as part of a prisoner exchange.
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The United States has also targeted Venezuela’s oil sector by sanctioning Panamanian businessman Ramon Carretero Napolitano and several shipping companies for facilitating the shipment of petroleum products on behalf of the Venezuelan government.
The U.S. Treasury announced on Thursday that the measures include sanctions against six oil tankers for “engaging in deceptive and dangerous shipping practices and continuing to provide financial resources to fuel President Maduro’s corrupt narco-terrorism regime.”
Four of the tankers, including the 2002-built H Constance and 2003-built Lattafa, are Panamanian-flagged, while the other two are Cook Islands and Hong Kong-flagged.
The ships are supertankers that recently loaded crude oil in Venezuela, according to internal shipping documents from state oil company PDVSA.
“Piracy”
In comments Thursday night, President Trump also reiterated his threat to soon launch attacks against suspected drug shipments traveling by land from Venezuela to the United States.
His remarks came after the United States seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela.
White House press secretary Caroline Levitt said the United States would transport the tanker to a U.S. port.
“The ship is going to a U.S. port, and the U.S. is going to seize the oil,” Levitt said at a news conference. “But there is a legal process for seizing that oil, and that legal process will be followed.”
President Maduro denounced the seizure as “an act of piracy against merchant ships, commercial ships, civilian ships, civilian ships,” adding: “The ship was a civilian ship and was carrying 1.9 million barrels of oil purchased from Venezuela.”
He said the incident had “unmasked” Washington, insisting that the real motive behind the action was the seizure of Venezuelan oil.
“What they are trying to steal is oil, and Venezuela will protect that oil,” Maduro added.
Maduro’s condemnation comes as U.S. officials stressed that recent sanctions also target people close to Venezuela’s leader.
President Maduro’s relatives targeted
Franqui Flores and Efrain Antonio Campo Flores, nephews of Venezuela’s first lady, Cilia Flores, were also sanctioned. The two became known as the “drug nephews” after they were arrested in Haiti in 2015 in a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration sting.
They were convicted in 2016 of attempting to run a multi-million dollar cocaine trade and sentenced to 18 years in prison before being released in a prisoner swap with Venezuela in 2022.
A third nephew, Carlos Eric Malpica Flores, was also targeted. U.S. authorities allege he was involved in a corruption scheme at the state oil company.
President Maduro and his government deny any link to criminal activity and say the United States is seeking regime change to gain control of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.
In addition to the targeted individuals, the United States is preparing to intercept additional vessels carrying Venezuelan oil, Reuters reported, citing sources.
Asked if the Trump administration was planning to seize more vessels, White House press secretary Levitt declined to discuss future actions, but said the U.S. would continue to implement the president’s sanctions policy.
“We will not stand idly by as sanctioned ships sail the oceans laden with black market oil, the proceeds of which fuel narcoterrorism by rogue and illegitimate regimes around the world,” she said Thursday.
Wednesday’s seizure was the first seizure of a Venezuelan oil cargo under U.S. sanctions that have been in place since 2019. The move raised oil prices and sharply escalated tensions between the United States and Caracas.
