New U.S. sanctions on Venezuela are more about fighting drug trafficking than pressuring the regime of Nicolas Maduro, and it’s still unclear if the Trump administration will take a harder line on Caracas than the Obama administration did, as many in Venezuela were hoping.

On Monday, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions on Venezuela’s vice president, Tareck El Aissami, and the man believed to be his “primary frontman,” Samark Lopez. They were sanctioned under the Kingpin Act for alleged drug trafficking. (El Aissami may also be involved in doling out passports to people in the Middle East with terrorist links.)

“This action demonstrates the president’s seriousness about fighting the scourge of drugs in the United States,” said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Tuesday.

El Aissami called the sanctions “imperialist aggression” and Maduro demanded a public apology, but Caracas’ response has been more muted many expected.

The sanctions were in the works for a long time, Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Council of the Americas, told Foreign Policy. “This clearly had its genesis a long while ago in the Obama administration,” he said, noting that the Treasury Department would not have been able to get to the level of detail that the accusations leveled against El Aissami contain in three weeks.

But they hadn’t been implemented while peace talks were ongoing between Maduro’s government and the political opposition. Now that those talks appear to have floundered, proponents of using sanctions inside the State Department, Congress, and other agencies are pressing their case, said Harold Trinkunas, a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institute.

Still, it’s not clear if it amounts to a meaningful shift in U.S. policy toward Venezuela. Some prominent opposition leaders have complained that the Obama administration was not tough enough on Maduro, and were hoping for a harder line from President Donald Trump.

One reason for the hesitancy to sanction Venezuelan officials in the past is because it plays into the country’s anti-imperialist rhetoric. Another reason, said Trinkunas, is that Maduro surrounds himself with people “who have been sanctioned or accused of being involved in illicit activities” because they have the most to lose if he leaves office, and so will work harder to keep him in power.

But the new round of sanctions might strike the right balance to earn support from the Venezuelan people and opposition, without provoking a rally-around-the-flag effect. Farnsworth said that identifying “individuals in Venezuela who have engaged in these types of activities and [can] be sanctioned in a way that’s appropriate” could allow the United States to deal with Caracas in a way that garners sympathy from Venezuelans and others in the region.

At any event, Maduro’s knee-jerk anti-Americanism, like that of former president Hugo Chavez and Cuban leader Fidel Castro before him, is getting old as Venezuela’s economy spirals into freefall and violence keeps rising.

Anti-imperialist “rhetoric has gone stale in Venezuela around people who don’t have enough to eat,” Farnsworth said.</s>New U.S. sanctions on Venezuela are more about fighting drug trafficking than pressuring the regime of Nicolas Maduro, and it’s still unclear if the Trump administration will take a harder line on Caracas than the Obama administration did, as many in Venezuela were hoping.

On Monday, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions on Venezuela’s vice president, Tareck El Aissami, and the man believed to be his “primary frontman,” Samark Lopez. They were sanctioned under the Kingpin Act for alleged drug trafficking. (El Aissami may also be involved in doling out passports to people in the Middle East with terrorist links.)

“This action demonstrates the president’s seriousness about fighting the scourge of drugs in the United States,” said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Tuesday.

El Aissami called the sanctions “imperialist aggression” and Maduro demanded a public apology, but Caracas’ response has been more muted many expected.

The sanctions were in the works for a long time, Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Council of the Americas, told Foreign Policy. “This clearly had its genesis a long while ago in the Obama administration,” he said, noting that the Treasury Department would not have been able to get to the level of detail that the accusations leveled against El Aissami contain in three weeks.

But they hadn’t been implemented while peace talks were ongoing between Maduro’s government and the political opposition. Now that those talks appear to have floundered, proponents of using sanctions inside the State Department, Congress, and other agencies are pressing their case, said Harold Trinkunas, a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institute.

Still, it’s not clear if it amounts to a meaningful shift in U.S. policy toward Venezuela. Some prominent opposition leaders have complained that the Obama administration was not tough enough on Maduro, and were hoping for a harder line from President Donald Trump.

One reason for the hesitancy to sanction Venezuelan officials in the past is because it plays into the country’s anti-imperialist rhetoric. Another reason, said Trinkunas, is that Maduro surrounds himself with people “who have been sanctioned or accused of being involved in illicit activities” because they have the most to lose if he leaves office, and so will work harder to keep him in power.

But the new round of sanctions might strike the right balance to earn support from the Venezuelan people and opposition, without provoking a rally-around-the-flag effect. Farnsworth said that identifying “individuals in Venezuela who have engaged in these types of activities and [can] be sanctioned in a way that’s appropriate” could allow the United States to deal with Caracas in a way that garners sympathy from Venezuelans and others in the region.

At any event, Maduro’s knee-jerk anti-Americanism, like that of former president Hugo Chavez and Cuban leader Fidel Castro before him, is getting old as Venezuela’s economy spirals into freefall and violence keeps rising.

Anti-imperialist “rhetoric has gone stale in Venezuela around people who don’t have enough to eat,” Farnsworth said.</s>Image copyright AP Image caption Tareck El Aissami is a powerful figure in Venezuela

The US has imposed sanctions on the new vice-president of Venezuela, accusing him of involvement in international drug trafficking.

The order adds Tareck El Aissami to the US narcotics "kingpin" sanctions list "for playing a significant role in international narcotics trafficking".

Mr El Aissami, who was appointed last month by President Nicolas Maduro, dismissed the allegations as an "imperialist aggression".

He said that "the truth is invincible".

In a series of tweets [in Spanish] he said that he saw "this miserable and infamous aggression as a recognition of my status as an anti-imperialist revolutionary".

President's right hand

Mr El Aissami is seen as a powerful figure within the governing PSUV party and has been entrusted by Mr Maduro with key powers normally held by the president, such as determining ministerial budgets and expropriating private companies.

Image copyright AFP Image caption He was appointed last month by President Nicolas Maduro

The US Treasury alleges that Mr El Aissami facilitated huge shipments of narcotics from Venezuela by air and sea. It also says he was in the pay of convicted Venezuelan drug lord Walid Makled for the protection of drug shipments.

The sanctions freeze his assets in the US and bar him from entering the country.

John E Smith, acting director of the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, said the sanctions were the culmination of an investigation "to target significant narcotics traffickers in Venezuela and demonstrates that power and influence do not protect those who engage in these illicit activities".

"This case highlights our continued focus on narcotics traffickers and those who help launder their illicit proceeds through the United States," he said.

'No evidence'

Sanctions were also slapped on wealthy Venezuelan businessman Samark Lopez, described as Mr El Aissami's "primary frontman".

The Treasury listed 13 companies in the British Virgin Islands, Panama, the UK, the US, and Venezuela linked to Mr Lopez.

Image copyright US Treasury Department

Mr Lopez released a statement saying he had not engaged in drug trafficking.

He also said that there was no factual evidence or legal justification for his name being placed on the sanctions list other than that he and Mr El Aissami were personal acquaintances.</s>Feb 14 Venezuela's powerful Vice President Tareck El Aissami on Tuesday called his blacklisting by the United States on drug charges an "imperialist aggression" in the first bilateral flare-up under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

"We shall not be distracted by these miserable provocations," he added in a series of tweets. "Truth is invincible and we will see this vile aggression dispelled."

The U.S. Department of Treasury on Monday sanctioned El Aissami and Samark Lopez, whom it identified as his associate, on accusations of masterminding an international network shipping drugs to Mexico and the United States.

Lopez also said the listings appeared politically motivated.

"Mr. Lopez is not a government official and has not engaged in drug trafficking," he said in a statement on his website describing himself as a "legitimate businessman."

President Nicolas Maduro's government has frequently cast U.S. and opposition accusations of drug-trafficking, corruption and human rights abuses as a false pretext to justify meddling in Venezuela and a push to topple him.

Maduro, 54, narrowly won election in 2013 to replace the late Hugo Chavez, but his popularity has plummeted amid an economic crisis in the nation of 30 million people.

Though he frequently lashed out at former U.S. leader Barack Obama, the Venezuelan president has so far refrained from criticizing Trump.

The sanction on El Aissami will dent Maduro's hopes Trump might avoid confrontation with Venezuela but could also help him by providing a nationalist card to play, said Tulane University academic and Venezuela expert David Smilde.

"This is a tremendous gift to Maduro as it ensures El Aissami's loyalty. It essentially increases El Aissami's exit costs and gives him a personal stake in the continuation of 'Chavismo'," he said.

"To be clear, El Aissami and others should be held responsible for their actions. However it should be understood this process has pernicious unintended consequences. I think we are effectively witnessing the creation of a rogue state."

El Aissami, 42, whom local media report is of Syrian and Lebanese extraction, grew up poor in the Andean state of Merida and went on to study law and criminology, according to the ruling Socialist Party. He had been both a lawmaker and a state governor before being named vice president last month.

Venezuelan opposition groups have long accused El Aissami of repressing dissent, participating in drug trafficking rings, and supporting Middle Eastern groups such as Hezbollah.

The head of Venezuela's Democratic Unity opposition coalition, Jesus Torrealba, said on Tuesday that the El Aissami case demonstrated the rotten and "criminal" nature of the state.

Another opposition leader, Henry Ramos, scoffed that Venezuela would no doubt claim drugs had been planted on officials "just like they plant evidence on Venezuelan opponents to make them rot in the regime's jails."

Venezuela is holding more than 100 activists in prison, according to local rights groups. The government denies the existence of political prisoners, saying all politicians in jail are there on legitimate charges.

A senior U.S. official said on Monday that El Aissami controlled drug routes by air and sea. The Treasury Department said he oversaw or partially owned narcotics shipments of more than 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds)from Venezuela on multiple occasions.

Another U.S. administration official estimated the value of property in Miami linked to El Aissami but now blocked was worth tens of millions of dollars.

The move was a departure from the so-called "soft landing" approach taken by Obama's White House. At times it had clashed with efforts by the U.S. Justice Department and Drug Enforcement Administration, which worked with informants in Venezuela to nab influential officials for money laundering and drug trafficking.

Since 2015, the Obama administration had sought to use behind-the-scenes diplomacy to ease acrimony with Caracas and the fallout of a string of U.S. drug indictments against Venezuelan officials, such as Interior Minister Nestor Reverol.

"When the right wing attacks us, it shows we are advancing. Nothing and nobody will stop our victorious march to peace," Reverol tweeted in defense of El Aissami. (Additional reporting by Diego Ore in Caracas, Lesley Wroughton in Washington; Writing by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by W Simon; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)</s>The U.S. Department of Treasury said it designated El Aissami for sanctions under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. His associate, Samark Jose Lopez Bello, was targeted for providing material assistance and financial support for El Aissami's activities, Treasury said in a statement.

Treasury also targeted 13 companies owned or controlled by Lopez Bello or other parties that comprise an international network spanning the British Virgin Islands, Panama, Britain, the United States and Venezuela.

"El Aissami facilitated shipments of narcotics from Venezuela, to include control over planes that leave from a Venezuelan airbase, as well as control of drug routes through the ports of Venezuela," a senior U.S. administration official told a conference call with reporters.

The Treasury Department said El Aissami oversaw or partially owned narcotics shipments of more than 1,000 kilograms from Venezuela on multiple occasions, including shipments to Mexico and the United States.

Another U.S. administration official estimated the value of property blocked in Miami was worth "tens of millions of dollars." Another official suggested the value of the property seized was not commensurate with the salary of a public official.

U.S. officials called Lopez Bello a "key frontman" used by El Aissami to handle financial matters and purchase assets.

The Venezuelan government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Maduro frequently accuses U.S. officials of trying to smear his administration.

U.S. officials denied that Monday's designations had anything to do with El Aissami's prominent political role. He is a former minister of interior and of justice.

"The designation is a result of a years long investigation of narcotics trafficking by OFAC. The designation is not aimed at Venezuela or any specific sectors of the Venezuelan economy," the senior official said.

As a result of these actions, Americans are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions or otherwise dealing with individuals and entities, and any assets they have under U.S. jurisdiction are frozen.

The move is a departure from the so-called "soft landing" approach taken by former president Barack Obama's White House, which at times had clashed with efforts by the U.S. Justice Department and Drug Enforcement Agency, working with informants in Venezuela to nab influential government officials for money laundering and drug trafficking.

Since 2015, the Obama administration had sought to use behind-the-scenes diplomacy to ease acrimony with Caracas and the fallout of a string of U.S. drug indictments against Venezuelan officials, such as Nestor Reverol, the head of Venezuela's National Guard.

Senior administration officials declined to say whether President Donald Trump had personally signed off on the sanctions or whether he was involved in the decision.

Typical drug trafficking designations would not normally rise to the level of the president for approval, but the blacklisting of a top government official of another country is far more sensitive than typical designations.

The sanctions are the first test of how the rocky relationship between the ideological foes evolves under Trump. The unpopular Venezuelan president has so far treaded carefully with Trump.

While he blasted the Republican as a "thief" and "bandit" during the U.S. election campaign, Maduro later cooled his rhetoric and said Trump deserved to be given a chance and in any case "won't be worse than Obama".

El Aissami, whom local media report is of Syrian and Lebanese extraction, grew up poor in the Andean state of Merida and went on to study law and criminology. He has been both a lawmaker and a state governor for the ruling Socialist Party before being tapped vice-president last month.

Venezuelan opposition groups have long accused El Aissami of repressing dissent, participating in drug trafficking rings, and supporting Middle East groups such as Hezbollah.

Thirty-four Republican and Democratic members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives sent a letter to Trump on Feb. 8 urging him to act against Venezuelan officials.

Their letter referred to El Aissami, noting that his recent appointment as executive vice president put him in line to become Venezuela's next leader. That, they said, "is extremely troubling given his alleged ties to drug trafficking and terrorist organizations."

In a joint statement Republican Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Senator Bob Menendez, a Democrat, called Monday's move "long overdue" and praised the Trump administration for "acting quickly and decisively" against the Maduro government.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio said in a statement he hoped Monday's designations were "only the beginning" of a move to pressure the Venezuelan government to stop illicit activities and free political prisoners amid its crackdown on the opposition.</s>The Trump administration slapped sanctions on Venezuelan Vice President Tareck El Aissami on Monday, accusing him of playing a major role in international drug trafficking.

The announcement was made on the Treasury Department's website late in the day.

El Aissami has been the target of U.S. law enforcement for years over his alleged ties to Venezuela's largest convicted drug trafficker and a Middle Eastern militant group.

As part of the action, El Aissami's U.S. assets were frozen and he'll be barred from entering the United States.

The U.S. government is also sanctioning Samark Lopez, a wealthy Venezuelan businessman believed to be El Aissami's main front man.

There was no immediate reaction from El Aissami, but he has long denied any criminal ties.

The action is likely to further antagonize the United States' already tense relations with Venezuela, its harshest critic in Latin America.</s>WASHINGTON — U.S. authorities on Monday said the vice president of Venezuela was an international drug trafficker and slapped severe sanctions on him.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said Tareck El Aissami has played a “significant role in international narcotics trafficking,” a news release said.

“OFAC’s action today is the culmination of a multi-year investigation under the Kingpin Act to target significant narcotics traffickers in Venezuela and demonstrates that power and influence do not protect those who engage in these illicit activities,” said John Smith, acting director of OFAC.

El Aissami, who was appointed vice president of Venezuela in January, is a former interior and justice minister and governor of the country’s Aragua state.

The Treasury Department said he “facilitated shipments of narcotics from Venezuela to include control over planes that leave from a Venezuelan air base, (and) narcotics shipments of over 1,000 kilograms from Venezuela on multiple occasions, including those with the final destinations of Mexico and the United States.”

In addition, the department said El Aissami is linked to coordinating drug shipments to Los Zetas, a violent Mexican drug cartel, and provided protection to a Colombian drug lord.

Monday’s action imposes sanctions on El Aissami that prohibit anyone in the United States from doing business with him, and freezing any assets the US.

A senior administration official said Monday’s sanctions are “not a reaction to El Aissami’s role as executive vice president of Venezuela. The designation is the result of a years-long investigation of narcotics trafficking by OFAC.”

The official went on to say, “This is a narcotics trafficking case … and any other kind of activity is not a basis for our action today.”

El Aissami is also a subject of a yearlong CNN and CNN en Espanol investigation published last week.

A confidential intelligence document obtained by CNN links El Aissami to 173 Venezuelan passports and ID’s that it says were issued to individuals from the Middle East, including people connected to the terrorist group Hezbollah.

The official who ordered the issuing of the passports, the report said, is El Aissami, who “took charge of issuing, granting visas and nationalizing citizens from different countries, especially Syrians, Lebanese, Jordanians, Iranians and Iraqis.”

El Aissami has not responded to multiple requests for comment over several months. CNN reached out to the Venezuelan government Monday night but there was no immediate response.</s>Washington: The US has placed Venezuelan Vice President Tareck El Aissami under its narcotics "kingpin" sanctions list for allegedly helping international drug traffickers.

"The action today is the culmination of a multi-year investigation under the Kingpin Act to target significant narcotics traffickers in Venezuela and demonstrates that power and influence do not protect those who engage in these illicit activities," said John E Smith, Acting Director of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control.

It also designated or identified as blocked property 13 companies owned or controlled by Lopez Bello or other designated parties that comprise an international network spanning the British Virgin Islands, Panama, the UK, the US, and Venezuela.

"This case highlights our continued focus on narcotics traffickers and those who help launder their illicit proceeds through the US. Denying a safe haven for illicit assets in the United States and protecting the US financial system from abuse remain top priorities of the Treasury Department," Smith said.

El Aissami was appointed Executive Vice President of Venezuela in January 2017.

He previously served as Governor of Venezuela's Aragua state from 2012 to 2017, as well as Venezuela's Minister of Interior and Justice starting in 2008.

Treasury alleged that he facilitated shipments of narcotics from Venezuela, to include control over planes that leave from a Venezuelan air base, as well as control of drug routes through the ports in Venezuela.

In his previous positions, he oversaw or partially owned narcotics shipments of over 1,000 kilograms from Venezuela on multiple occasions, including those with the final destinations of Mexico and the US, the Treasury alleged.

As a result of the action, any property or interest in property of these individuals and entities subject to US jurisdiction are blocked and US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.

A senior administration official later told said the designation is not a reaction to El Aissami's role as executive vice president of Venezuela.

"The designation is a result of a years-long investigation of narcotics trafficking by Office of Foreign Assets Control. The designation is not aimed at Venezuela or any specific sectors of the Venezuelan economy, but rather is specifically targeted against individuals engaged in narcotics trafficking and the international network of companies that they manage and through which they launder their illicit proceeds," the official said.</s>WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – The U.S. blacklisted Venezuela’s Vice President Tareck El Aissami and an associate for drug trafficking, the first crackdown by the Trump administration against top officials in President Nicolas Maduro’s government for money laundering and the drug trade.

The U.S. Department of Treasury said it designated El Aissami for sanctions under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. His associate, Samark Lopez Bello, was targeted for providing material assistance, financial support or goods or services in support of El Aissami’s activities, Treasury said in a statement.

TIn addition, the Treasury department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control also targeted 13 companies owned or controlled by Lopez Bello or other parties that comprise an international network spanning the British Virgin Islands, Panama, Britain, the United States and Venezuela.

“El Aissami facilitated shipments of narcotics from Venezuela, to include control over planes that leave from a Venezuelan airbase, as well as control of drug routes through the ports of Venezuela,” a senior U.S. administration official told a conference call with reporters.

“El Aissami oversaw or partially owned narcotics shipments of more than 1000 kg from Venezuela on multiple occasions including shipments from Mexico and to the United States,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

U.S. officials called Lopez Bello a “key frontman” used by El Aissami to launder drug proceeds and purchase assets.

The Venezuelan government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Maduro frequently accuses U.S. officials of trying to smear his administration.

U.S. officials denied that Monday’s designations had anything to do with El Aissami’s prominent political role.

“The designation is a result of a years long investigation of narcotics trafficking by OFAC. The designation is not aimed at Venezuela or any specific sectors of the Venezuelan economy,” the senior official said.

Since 2015 the Obama administration had sought to use behind-the-scenes diplomacy to ease acrimony with Caracas and the fallout of a string of U.S. drug indictments against Venezuelan officials, such as Nestor Reverol, the head of Venezuela’s National Guard.

The so-called “soft landing” approach by Obama’s White House had at times clashed with long-time efforts by the U.S. justice department and drug agency, working with informants in Venezuela, to nab influential government officials for money laundering and drug trafficking.

Senior administration officials declined to say whether President Donald Trump had personally signed off on the sanctions or whether he was involved in the decision.

Typical drug trafficking designations would not rise to the level of the president for approval, but the blacklisting of a senior government official of another country is far more sensitive than typical designations.

Another U.S. administration official estimated the value of property blocked in Miami was worth “tens of millions of dollars.” Another official suggested the value of the property seized was not commensurate with the salary of a public official.

El Aissami, whom local media report is of Syrian and Lebanese extraction, grew up poor in the Andean state of Merida and went on to study law and criminology. He has been both a lawmaker and a state governor for the ruling Socialist Party before being tapped vice-president last month.

Thirty-four Republican and Democratic members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives sent a letter to Trump on Feb. 8 asking his administration to take action to sanction Venezuelan officials.

Their letter referred to El Aissami, noting that his recent appointment as executive vice president put him in line to become Venezuela’s next leader. That, they said, “is extremely troubling given his alleged ties to drug trafficking and terrorist organizations.”</s>The Trump administration imposed sanctions against Venezuelan Vice President Tareck El Aissami on Monday, accusing him of playing a major role in international drug trafficking. The executive decree, the result of a years-long investigation, is bound to ratchet up tensions between the new Republican administration and the United States' harshest critic in Latin America.

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The United States sanctions Vice President of Venezuela Tareck El Aissami for allegedly "playing a significant role in international narcotics trafficking". The sanctions freeze his assets in the U.S. and bar him from entering the country.