On December 11, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against three nephews of Cilia Flores, the wife of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro: Efraín Antonio Campo Flores, Franqui Francisco Flores de Freitas, and Carlos Erik Malpica Flores.
Campo and Flores de Freitas were accused of being “Venezuelan drug traffickers.” The U.S. had previously sanctioned Malpica in 2017, but those measures were lifted five years later under former president Joe Biden in an effort to encourage dialogue with Venezuela.
The fourth individual targeted is businessman Ramon Carretero Napolitano, whom the Treasury Department accuses of participating in “lucrative contracts” with the Maduro government. The agency also issued sanctions on six oil-shipping companies and six tankers that Washington says are involved in “deceptive, unsafe shipping practices” and are helping finance Caracas.
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The announcement came one day after the U.S. seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, a move Washington described as being directed at Maduro’s administration. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on December 11 that the U.S. would bring the vessel to a domestic port and confiscate the oil onboard. Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the action, calling it “blatant theft and international piracy.”
“They kidnapped the crew, stole the ship, and opened a new era of piracy in the Caribbean,” President Maduro said on December 11. “Venezuela will defend every vessel so that its oil can be traded freely around the world.”
In recent months, the U.S. has increased pressure on Maduro’s government, deploying significant military forces to waters near Venezuela under the banner of counternarcotics operations.
Washington has conducted strikes on more than 20 suspected drug-carrying boats in the region, resulting in at least 87 deaths. President Trump has repeatedly suggested the possibility of launching a ground operation against drug-trafficking networks in Venezuela. Maduro has accused the United States of seeking to overthrow his government and take control of the country’s vast oil reserves.
On December 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with Maduro and expressed support for the Venezuelan leader amid rising tensions with Washington.