US hits Maduro’s inner circle with new sanctions as tanker seizures loom

The Trump administration has tightened the screws on Venezuela, unveiling a fresh round of sanctions that reach deep into President Nicolas Maduro’s inner circle while expanding Washington’s pressure on the country’s oil trade.

On Thursday, the US Treasury announced sanctions against three nephews of Venezuela’s first lady, Cilia Flores, alongside six crude oil tankers and shipping companies accused of helping bankroll the Maduro government. Two of the sanctioned relatives were previously convicted in the United States on drug trafficking charges and later freed in a high-profile prisoner swap.

The measures also target Venezuela’s energy lifeline. US officials sanctioned Panamanian businessman Ramon Carretero Napolitano, accusing him of facilitating oil shipments on behalf of Caracas, as well as several shipping firms linked to him. According to the Treasury Department, the six tankers have “engaged in deceptive and unsafe shipping practices and continue to provide financial resources that fuel Maduro’s corrupt narco-terrorist regime”.

Four of the vessels, including the Panama-flagged H Constance, built in 2002, and the Lattafa, built in 2003, are registered in Panama, with the remaining two flagged by the Cook Islands and Hong Kong. Internal shipping documents from state oil company PDVSA show the supertankers recently loaded crude in Venezuela.

The announcement comes days after US forces seized an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast, a move that sharply escalated tensions. Speaking on Thursday night, President Donald Trump doubled down on his hard line, again threatening strikes on suspected narcotics shipments moving from Venezuela towards the United States.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the seized tanker would be taken to a US port.

“The vessel will go to a US port, and the United States does intend to seize the oil,” she said, adding that “there is a legal process for the seizure of that oil, and that legal process will be followed”.

Maduro responded furiously, branding the takeover “an act of piracy against a merchant, commercial, civil and private vessel”. He said the ship was carrying 1.9 million barrels of oil purchased from Venezuela and accused Washington of laying bare its true intentions.

“It is the oil they want to steal, and Venezuela will protect its oil,” Maduro said, arguing that the seizure had “unmasked” the United States.

The sanctions place renewed focus on Franqui Flores and Efrain Antonio Campo Flores, the so-called “narco nephews” of Cilia Flores. Arrested in Haiti in 2015 during a US Drug Enforcement Administration sting, the pair were convicted the following year of attempting to broker a multimillion-dollar cocaine deal and sentenced to 18 years in prison. They were released in 2022 as part of a prisoner exchange between Washington and Caracas.

A third nephew, Carlos Erik Malpica Flores, was also sanctioned. US authorities allege he played a role in a corruption scheme tied to Venezuela’s state oil company.

Maduro and his government deny any links to criminal networks, insisting the sanctions and seizures are part of a broader US campaign to force regime change and gain access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.

Beyond the latest designations, Washington appears poised to go further. Reuters reported that US authorities are preparing to intercept additional ships carrying Venezuelan oil. Asked about the prospect of more seizures, Leavitt declined to discuss future operations but made clear the administration’s intent.

“We’re not going to stand by and watch sanctioned vessels sail the seas with black market oil, the proceeds of which will fuel narcoterrorism of rogue and illegitimate regimes around the world,” she said.

Wednesday’s tanker seizure marked the first confiscation of a Venezuelan oil cargo under sanctions imposed in 2019.