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The Trump Administration announced this Thursday a new round of sanctions against the regime of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, targeting the so-called "narco-nephews" of First Lady Cilia Flores and several international oil companies linked to alleged operations of smuggling Venezuelan crude.
According to a statement from the Department of the Treasury, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned three nephews of Maduro's wife —Efraín Antonio Campo Flores, Franqui Francisco Flores de Freitas, and Carlos Erik Malpica Flores— as well as a Panamanian businessman and six shipping companies that transport Venezuelan oil to Asia and other regions.
“Nicolás Maduro and his criminal associates are flooding the United States with drugs that poison our people,” declared Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
“Under President Trump's leadership, we are holding the regime and its circle of accomplices accountable for their ongoing crimes,” the statement expresses.
Campo y Flores de Freitas, nephews of Cilia Flores, were arrested in Haiti in 2015 and sentenced in the United States for drug trafficking, but were pardoned in 2022.
According to the report, both resumed their drug trafficking operations after returning to Venezuela.
The third sanctioned nephew, Carlos Erik Malpica Flores, was the national treasurer of Venezuela and the vice president of PDVSA.
He was removed from the sanctions list in 2022, but was redesignated due to his active participation in the regime's economic apparatus.
OFAC also sanctioned the Panamanian businessman Ramón Carretero Napolitano, who is accused of collaborating with the Maduro-Flores family on oil and maritime transportation contracts.
The statement details that Carretero facilitated the export of Venezuelan crude oil through front companies and ships registered in third countries.
Six shipping companies were included on the sanctions list for participating in the evasion of restrictions in the Venezuelan oil sector:
- Myra Marine Limited (Marshall Islands), owner of the vessel White Crane.
- Arctic Voyager Incorporated (Marshall Islands), owner of the vessel Kiara M.
- Poweroy Investment Limited (British Virgin Islands), operator of the vessel H. Constance.
- Ready Great Limited (Marshall Islands), owner of the ship Lattafa.
- Sino Marine Services Limited (United Kingdom), manager of the vessel Tamia.
- Full Happy Limited (Marshall Islands), operator of the vessel Monique.
All assets of these entities in the United States have been blocked by OFAC, and U.S. companies are prohibited from conducting transactions with them.
The sanctions aim to disrupt the financial flow that supports the "illegitimate regime of Maduro", according to the official statement.
Washington accuses the Venezuelan government of using oil as a source of funding for drug trafficking networks, corruption, and internal repression.
The Treasury recalled that PDVSA was sanctioned in 2019 under executive order 13850 and that, since then, the U.S. government has sanctioned more than 200 individuals and entities linked to chavismo.
"The aim of the sanctions is not to punish, but to provoke a positive change in behavior. Maduro must choose between continuing his criminal path or restoring democracy to the Venezuelan people," Bessent added.
The new offensive against Caracas also affects Cuba, one of the main allies of the Venezuelan regime.
Experts indicate that the reduction of subsidized oil supply could worsen the energy crisis in Cuba and
Meanwhile, Russia and China have criticized Washington's decision, calling it "an illegal interference in the internal affairs of Venezuela".
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