on members of his family, including his wife, but also on his associates, escalating the pressure on the president. The US Treasury Department said in a statement that it had sanctioned seven people it said were linked to Maduro and his wife, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant accusing them of “supporting Nicolas Maduro’s criminal narco-state”.
This development comes a few hours after US President Donald Trump in an interview with NBC News did not rule out the possibility of a war against Venezuela, following the move to impose a naval blockade on the country. Trump typically answered a related question about whether he rules out the possibility of an attack: “No, I don’t rule it out.”
They are flooding the US with deadly drugs
“We will not allow Venezuela to continue flooding our country with deadly drugs,” Bessed said.
“Maduro and his criminal accomplices threaten the peace and stability of our continent. The Trump administration will continue to target the networks that support his illegitimate dictatorship,” he added.
The sanctions concern relatives of Carlos Eric Malpica Flores, the nephew of Maduro’s wife, whom the US accuses of being involved in a corruption case at the state oil company and who was sanctioned by Washington last week.
Specifically, sanctions were imposed on his mother — who is also the sister of Maduro’s wife — as well as his father, sister, wife and daughter.
The goal is to overthrow the government
Maduro and his government vehemently deny any links to organized crime and say the US is seeking regime change to gain control of the country’s vast oil reserves.
The move comes at a time when US President Donald Trump has stepped up pressure on Maduro, pushing for his ouster and implementing a large-scale military deployment in the southern Caribbean region.
The Trump administration has carried out strikes against ships allegedly involved in drug trafficking in the region, seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, and declared an “embargo” on all sanctioned tankers entering or leaving the country.
Trump has also repeatedly said ground strikes on Venezuela are imminent. In his interview with NBC he said: “Nicolas Maduro knows exactly what I want. He knows it better than anyone.” The US president declined to specify whether his goal is to topple the Venezuelan president.
