U.S. tightens sanctions grip on Venezuela

The Trump administration is now targeting family members of Venezuela's First Lady, Cilia Flores.

Amid growing tensions between the Trump administration and Venezuela’s ruling communist regime, the U.S. Department of the Treasury on Friday afternoon placed new sanctions on several people tied to the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro.

Specifically, the federal government is excluding from the American financial system family members of Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores.

This new round of sanctions will hit Flores’ nephew’s family. In addition, the Trump administration is seeking to economically isolate the family members of Ramon Carretero, a businessman from Panama who U.S. officials accuse of conducting extensive business with the Venezuelan government and the Flores family.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with wife, Cilia Flores

In announcing the sanctions Friday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent sought to tie the Maduro regime to drug smuggling.

“Today, Treasury sanctioned individuals who are propping up Nicolás Maduro’s rogue narco-state,” Bessent said. “We will not allow Venezuela to continue flooding our nation with deadly drugs.”

This move comes as the Trump administration ramps up its campaign to tie the Venezuelan government to drug cartels and narcotics trafficking.

As we previously reported, in November the Trump administration designated the Cartel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) headed by Maduro himself.

Then, in a phone interview with NBC News this week, President Trump refused to rule out war with Venezuela after he ordered a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers travelling to and from the South American nation.

In light of these events, Friday’s sanctions, while unlikely to be covered widely by American media, show the White House’s continued effort to confront the Venezuelan government.