Iran New US sanctions against Venezuela - nephews and ships affected
The US Treasury Department has imposed further sanctions in the smouldering conflict between the United States and Venezuela.
11.12.2025, 23:53
SDA
Punitive measures have been imposed on three nephews of the wife of authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro, primarily in connection with drug allegations. The measures are also aimed at the Venezuelan oil sector, which continues to finance the illegitimate regime, the ministry announced.
This includes six shipping companies whose ships transport Venezuelan oil. Sanctions were also imposed on six ships - one day after the USA seized a tanker off the Venezuelan coast.
The men Franqui Flores and Efrain Campo, dubbed "narco-nephews" by the government, are accused of drug smuggling. The third, Carlos Flores, is being sanctioned for his work as a government official, as the ministry's press release also states. All three individuals would now no longer have access to property and assets located in the USA. In addition, US companies are prohibited from doing business of any kind with them.
The US government is thus continuing to build up pressure on the government in Caracas: As recently as 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 revenues and supplies its oil primarily to US rival China. Venezuelan President Maduro accuses the USA of targeting this oil in particular as the conflict escalates and of wanting to force a change of power in Caracas.
US Treasury Secretary accuses Caracas of importing drugs into the USA
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent once again accused Venezuela of "flooding" the USA with drugs. However, the country is not considered a producer of drugs, but 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 mainly produced in Mexico using raw materials from China and smuggled into the USA from there.
In mid-December 2017, two of the now sanctioned nephews of Venezuela's First Lady Cilia Flores - Franqui Flores and Efrain Campo - had already been sentenced to long prison terms in the USA for drug trafficking. They were actually due to serve 18 years each. However, Flores and Campo were released in October 2022 - in exchange for seven US citizens imprisoned in Venezuela being allowed to leave.
