U.S. announces new sanctions on Venezuelan figures tied to Maduro

The United States has imposed new sanctions on individuals, companies, and vessels accused of supporting Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro’s government, according to a statement released by the State Department.

The announcement was made on Thursday in a written statement from Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott, who said the measures target people and entities backing what he described as Maduro’s “corrupt and illegitimate regime.”

According to the statement, the sanctions apply to four individuals and six entities, as well as six vessels identified as blocked property. The action also targets Venezuela’s oil sector, including a businessman and shipping companies accused of facilitating illicit shipments.

The State Department said the designations are part of ongoing efforts to disrupt networks linked to the Cartel de los Soles, which the U.S. has designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and describes as operating under Maduro’s government.

Three of the individuals named are described as Maduro’s nephews, two of whom are convicted narcotraffickers. The statement notes that both men were granted clemency in a 2022 prisoner exchange and later returned to Venezuela, where U.S. officials say they resumed drug trafficking activities.

“The U.S. government will continue to deny financial lifelines to the illegitimate Maduro regime, which he uses to oppress the Venezuelan people,” Pigott said in the statement. “The United States is committed to keeping the American people safe by using all available means to eliminate threats of narco-trafficking and crime throughout our hemisphere.”

The announcement comes one day after U.S. agencies seized a crude oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela in an operation targeting sanctioned oil shipments.

That seizure, described by U.S. officials as part of a broader effort to disrupt networks tied to Venezuela and its partners, involved personnel from the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Department of War.

President Trump said during remarks at the Oval Office that the vessel was “the largest one ever seized.” A person familiar with the matter told Politico the tanker was bound for Cuba, where a state-owned firm planned to sell the shipment to energy brokers in Asia.

U.S. officials said Thursday’s sanctions were issued under multiple executive orders, and additional enforcement actions are expected.