The United States has sanctioned three grandsons of the Venezuelan leader along with six oil tankers as part of an anti-drug operation, according to U.S. claims.
Axios reported that the administration of President Donald Trump announced new sanctions on Thursday, 11 Dec 2025 GMT+7, targeting three grandsons of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a businessman close to the government, and six oil tankers.
These new sanctions, to be announced by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, represent the Trump administration's latest effort to pressure Maduro, whom the U.S. accuses of leading a terrorist drug trafficking organization.
In a written statement, Bessent said, “Nicolás Maduro and his criminal associates in Venezuela are flooding the United States with large quantities of drugs, posing a serious threat to the American people.”
The sanctions came one day after the U.S. seized a Venezuelan crude oil tanker because the vessel was listed on the Treasury’s Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) blacklist.
The latest sanctions block designated individuals or entities from using U.S. financial institutions or companies, including credit cards. U.S. companies are also prohibited from selling goods directly to sanctioned persons or firms.
In the case of shipping companies, the sanctions also make it easier for U.S. authorities to seize their vessels.
Among those sanctioned on Thursday are three individuals previously monitored by U.S. officials, who are grandsons of Cilia Flores, Maduro’s wife.
Efrain Antonio Campo Flores and Franky Francisco Flores de Freitas, known as Cilia Flores’ drug trafficking nephews, were arrested in Haiti and convicted in the U.S. in 2016 on cocaine trafficking charges before President Joe Biden pardoned them in October 2022 as part of a prisoner exchange.
The third grandson, Carlos Erik Malpica Flores, is linked to Venezuela’s state oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA), which was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2017. Biden had removed him from the sanctions list during democratic agreement negotiations with Maduro, which were later violated.
Additionally, Panamanian businessman Ramón Carretero Napolitano, involved in the oil industry, was also sanctioned.
The U.S. also blacklisted six Venezuelan oil tankers under the SDN list, excluding the tanker Skipper, which was seized by U.S. forces off the Venezuelan coast last Wednesday while en route to Cuba carrying 1.8 million barrels of oil.
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Source:axios