WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) – In the simmering conflict between the United States and Venezuela, the US Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on three nephews of the wife of authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro. While Franqui Flores and Efrain Campo are accused of drug smuggling, the US is punishing Carlos Flores for his work as a government official, according to a statement from the ministry. All three people would now no longer have access to property and assets located in the USA. In addition, US companies are prohibited from doing any kind of business with them.
The US government is building further pressure on the government in Caracas: just on Wednesday, the US Coast Guard and other units took control of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. Venezuela has huge oil reserves, is heavily dependent on export revenue and supplies its oil primarily to US rival China. Venezuelan President Maduro accuses the USA of targeting this oil in escalating the conflict and of wanting to force a change of power in Caracas.
US Treasury Secretary accuses Caracas of importing drugs into the US
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent once again accused Venezuela of “flooding” the US with drugs. The country is not considered a drug production country, but rather a transit country – especially for the European market. Drugs usually reach the USA via other routes: The synthetic opioid fentanyl, which has led to massive problems, is manufactured primarily in Mexico using raw materials from China and smuggled from there into the USA.
In mid-December 2017, two of the now-sanctioned nephews of Venezuela’s First Lady Cilia Flores – Franqui Flores and Efrain Campo
– already received long prison sentences in the USA for drug trafficking
been convicted. They were supposed to be in prison for 18 years each. In October 2022, Flores and Campo were released – in exchange for seven Americans imprisoned in Venezuela being allowed to leave./ngu/DP/jha