US imposes sanctions on 4 Venezuelans, 6 oil shipping companies

The U.S. Department of Treasury on Thursday announced new sanctions on three nephews of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's wife, a Maduro-affiliated businessman, and six companies shipping oil from Venezuela.

"Nicolas Maduro and his criminal associates in Venezuela are flooding the United States with drugs that are poisoning the American people," said U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a statement.

The move came one day after the Pentagon seized an oil tanker near the coast of Venezuela amid the White House's months-long pressure campaign targeting Maduro whom the Trump administration accused of leading a narco-trafficking terrorist organization.