Washington: The US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has announced sanctions on six shipping companies operating within Venezuela's oil sector, as well as three nephews of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's wife. Additionally, a businessman from Panama with ties to Maduro has been sanctioned.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the Department indicated that these measures are part of an effort to address deceptive and unsafe shipping practices associated with the identified vessels, which continue to support "Maduro's corrupt narco-terrorist regime." Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent emphasized that the sanctions aim to counteract the flooding of drugs into the United States, which he attributes to Maduro and his associates.
Bessent criticized the Biden Administration's previous attempts to negotiate with Maduro, claiming that such efforts only bolstered the Venezuelan leader's authoritarian control. The Treasury, under President Trump's guidance, is committed to holding the regime accountable for its actions, he stated.
The latest sanctions add Malpica, Campo, and Flores de Freitas to a list of individuals connected to Maduro, including his wife Cilia Flores, his son Nicolas Maduro Guerra, and three of Cilia Flores' sons, Walter, Yosser, and Yoswal Gavidia Flores. Additionally, Ramon Carretero Napolitano, a Panamanian businessman involved in several business ventures with the Maduro-Flores family, has been targeted. Carretero's dealings have included facilitating petroleum shipments on behalf of the Venezuelan government, leading to his designation under E.O. 13850 for his involvement in the oil sector of Venezuela.