The USA government imposed sanctions on December 11, 2025, on three nephews of the Venezuelan president. The measure was announced from Washington and also affects shipping companies.
This action, taken during the administration of President Donald Trump, targets close relatives of Nicolás Maduro.The sanctions are executed through asset freezes and a prohibition on transactions with the USA financial system.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the Treasury Department was the entity in charge of publishing the list. Institutions that violate the restrictions face penalties.
Sanction context
This measure is not an isolated event. It occurred one day after the USA government announced the seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. Attorney General Pam Bondi explained that this vessel had been under USA sanctions for years for being part of an illicit oil shipping network.
These events are part of a broader pressure campaign. The Donald Trump administration describes these actions as necessary to combat the flow of drugs into the USA.
The government of Nicolás Maduro denounced the tanker seizure as an act of piracy. Russia expressed its support for the Venezuelan government in the face of external pressure.
READ MORE: US seizes oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela
Trump imposes sanctions on Maduro’s nephews
The sanctions carry direct financial and legal consequences for those designated. According to sources, these include:
- Freezing any property or assets they hold in the USA
- Prohibiting USA companies and citizens from conducting business with them
- Exposure to penalties for banks or institutions that violate these restrictions
The stated objective is to limit resources that, according to the USA government, support illicit activities. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that the aim is to hold accountable those who are «flooding the USA with drugs.»
READ MORE: USA to review five years of social media history for foreign travelers
Sanctions background
Two of the sanctioned nephews, Efraín Campo Flores and Franqui Flores, have a history with USA justice. They were arrested in Haiti in 2015, convicted in New York in 2016 on drug trafficking charges, and released in a prisoner exchange in October 2022.
The third nephew, Carlos Malpica Flores, held the position of vice president at the state oil company PDVSA. He was originally sanctioned in 2017, and the Biden administration removed those sanctions in 2022. However, the Donald Trump administration reinstated them now as part of its new pressure campaign.
Tensions between the two countries show a recent escalation. In this context, Colombia indicated it does not rule out granting political asylum to Nicolás Maduro as part of a negotiated exit to the crisis. The region is watching the evolution of these measures and their potential effects on Venezuela’s stability and political dynamics.
