1 month ago
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The Trump medication has imposed caller sanctions connected Venezuela, targeting 3 nephews of President Nicolas Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, arsenic good arsenic six crude lipid tankers and shipping companies linked to them, arsenic Washington steps up unit connected Caracas.
Two of the sanctioned nephews were antecedently convicted successful the United States connected cause trafficking charges earlier being released arsenic portion of a captive exchange.
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The US is besides targeting Venezuela’s lipid assemblage by sanctioning a Panamanian businessman, Ramon Carretero Napolitano, whom it says facilitates the shipment of petroleum products connected behalf of the Venezuelan government, on with respective shipping companies.
The US Treasury Department said connected Thursday that the measures see sanctions connected six crude lipid tankers it said person “engaged successful deceptive and unsafe shipping practices and proceed to supply fiscal resources that substance Maduro’s corrupt narco-terrorist regime”.
Four of the tankers, including the 2002-built H Constance and the 2003-built Lattafa, are Panama-flagged, with the different 2 flagged by the Cook Islands and Hong Kong.
The vessels are supertankers that precocious loaded crude successful Venezuela, according to interior shipping documents from authorities lipid institution PDVSA.
‘An enactment of piracy’
In comments connected Thursday night, Trump besides repeated his menace to soon statesman strikes connected suspected narcotics shipments making their mode via onshore from Venezuela to the US.
His remarks followed the US seizure of an lipid tanker disconnected Venezuela’s coast.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the US would instrumentality the tanker to a US port.
“The vas volition spell to a US port, and the United States does mean to prehend the oil,” Leavitt said during a quality briefing. “However, determination is simply a ineligible process for the seizure of that oil, and that ineligible process volition beryllium followed.”
Maduro condemned the seizure, calling it “an enactment of piracy against a merchant, commercial, civilian and backstage vessel,” adding that “the vessel was private, civilian and was carrying 1.9 cardinal barrels of lipid that they bought from Venezuela”.
He said the incidental had “unmasked” Washington, arguing that the existent motive down the enactment was the seizure of Venezuelan oil.
“It is the lipid they privation to steal, and Venezuela volition support its oil,” Maduro added.
Maduro’s condemnation came arsenic US officials emphasised that the latest sanctions besides targeted figures adjacent to the Venezuelan leader.
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro holds a sword which belonged to Ezequiel Zamora, a Venezuelan worker [FILE: Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters]Maduro’s relatives targeted
Franqui Flores and Efrain Antonio Campo Flores, nephews of Venezuelan archetypal woman Cilia Flores, were besides sanctioned. The 2 became known arsenic the “narco nephews” aft their apprehension successful Haiti successful 2015 during a US Drug Enforcement Administration sting.
They were convicted successful 2016 connected charges of attempting to transportation retired a multimillion-dollar cocaine woody and sentenced to 18 years successful prison, earlier being released successful a 2022 captive swap with Venezuela.
A 3rd nephew, Carlos Erik Malpica Flores, was besides targeted. US authorities allege helium was progressive successful a corruption strategy astatine the authorities lipid company.
Maduro and his authorities person denied links to transgression activity, saying the US is seeking authorities alteration to summation power of Venezuela’s immense lipid reserves.
Beyond the individuals targeted, the US is besides preparing to intercept further ships transporting Venezuelan oil, the Reuters quality bureau reported, citing sources.
Asked whether the Trump medication planned further vessel seizures, White House spokesperson Leavitt told reporters she would not talk astir aboriginal actions but said the US would proceed executing the president’s sanctions policies.
“We’re not going to basal by and ticker sanctioned vessels sail the seas with achromatic marketplace oil, the proceeds of which volition substance narcoterrorism of rogue and illegitimate regimes astir the world,” she said connected Thursday.
Wednesday’s seizure was the archetypal of a Venezuelan lipid cargo amid US sanctions that person been successful unit since 2019. The determination sent lipid prices higher and sharply escalated tensions betwixt Washington and Caracas.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt holds a quality briefing [Jonathan Ernst/Reuters]
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