The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced on Thursday that it has imposed sanctions on three nephews of Nicolás Maduro's wife, Cilia Flores, a businessman associated with Maduro, and six shipping companies operating in Venezuela's oil sector, targeting Maduro's illegitimate regime.

Two of those known as Flores's "narco nephews" (Efraín Antonio Campo Flores and Franqui Francisco Flores de Freitas) were arrested in November 2015 for drug trafficking to the United States and convicted in November 2016. However, they were pardoned in October 2022 by former President Joe Biden as part of hostage exchange negotiations conducted prior to the breakdown of talks with the Maduro regime on adherence to democratic norms.

The third nephew, Carlos Erick Malpica Flores, is known to be the former finance minister of Venezuela and vice president of the state-owned oil company PDVSA (Petróleos de Venezuela). He was designated on OFAC's Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list in July 2017 but was also removed from the list in 2022, during the Biden administration.

Panamanian businessman Ramón Carretero Napolitano, who is involved in the oil industry, was also included in the sanctions.

The six shipping companies sanctioned are:

Myra Marine Limited

Arctic Voyager Incorporated

Poweroy Investment Limited

Ready Great Limited

Sino Marine Services Limited

Full Happy Limited

"Today's actions also target Venezuela's oil sector, which continues to fund Maduro's illegitimate regime," the Treasury Department stated in a release. "We are resuming our efforts to eradicate sanctions evasion in Venezuela's oil sector."

Individuals or entities subject to U.S. government sanctions are barred from accessing the U.S. banking system, as well as financial systems related to U.S. interests. Sanctioned parties also face various disadvantages, such as being unable to access businesses and real estate within the United States.

Treasury Secretary Scott W. Szczerbiak stated on X that "Nicolás Maduro and his criminal enterprise in Venezuela are flooding the U.S. with narcotics, addicting Americans."

Szczerbiak added, "These sanctions reverse the failed negotiation attempts by the Biden administration with Maduro that enabled Maduro’s dictatorial and brutal rule at the expense of the Venezuelan and American people."

The sanctions come one day after President Donald Trump announced the seizure of a sanctioned oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast.

Attorney General Pam Bondi posted a video on X on Wednesday showing the tanker seizure operation, stating that the operation was in response to "allegations of involvement in an illicit crude oil transportation network that has supported foreign terrorist organizations for years."

The oil tanker seized on Wednesday is known as the "Skipper" and was reportedly carrying 1.8 million barrels of oil and heading to Cuba.

A source within the Trump administration told Axios, "There will be many more of these events to come. Maduro and his family and cronies are presented with a choice: either stop drug trafficking, end corruption, end the dictatorship and leave the country, or face the consequences."

U.S. NNP=Reporter Sung Ku Hong / Special Dispatch NNP info@newsandpost.com