WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Monday imposed sanctions on three Venezuelans and 20 entities for narcotics trafficking activity.

Of the newly sanctioned entities, 16 were based in Venezuela and four in Panama, the U.S. Treasury said in a statement on its website.

(Reporting by Tim Ahmann, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)</s>WASHINGTON: The United States on Monday imposed sanctions on three Venezuelans and 20 entities for narcotics trafficking activity.

Of the newly sanctioned entities, 16 were based in Venezuela and four in Panama, the U.S. Treasury said in a statement on its website.</s>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Monday imposed sanctions on three Venezuelans and 20 entities for narcotics trafficking activity.

Of the newly sanctioned entities, 16 were based in Venezuela and four in Panama, the U.S. Treasury said in a statement on its website.

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.</s>WASHINGTON/CARACAS (Reuters) - The United States on Monday imposed sanctions on three Venezuelans and 20 companies for narcotics trafficking activity, as it seeks to increase pressure on socialist President Nicolas Maduro.

Of the newly sanctioned companies, 16 are based in Venezuela and four in Panama. They are owned or controlled by the three individuals, the U.S. Treasury said in a statement on its website.

“Systemic corruption and a collapse in the rule of law are defining features of Venezuela’s government,” said U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

“We will deny corrupt Venezuelan regime officials access to the U.S. financial system as we work with international partners to support the Venezuelan people in restoration of democracy and a return to prosperity.”

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is set to discuss the sanctions in a speech to the Organization of American States on Monday, an aide to Pence said.

Pence is also expected to call for a delay in Venezuela’s presidential election, set for May 20, in his speech, the aide said.

Venezuela’s Information Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Maduro, himself subject to sanctions last year, regularly laughs off Washington’s disapproval and blames the U.S. “empire” for his country’s economic woes, saying it is trying to undermine his administration.

Pence previously has urged the international community to increase pressure on Maduro, who the United States blames for a deep recession and hyperinflation in Venezuela that have caused shortages of food and medicine and a flood of migrants into neighboring countries.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has already imposed some financial and individual sanctions on Maduro’s government, accusing senior officials of rights abuses and corruption.

The Trump administration has also been weighing new oil-related sanctions on a Venezuelan oil services company and on insurance coverage for tankers carrying Venezuelan oil.

Oil prices rose to their highest levels since late 2014 on Monday, boosted by fresh troubles for Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA [PDVSA.UL] and a looming decision on whether the United States will reimpose sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.</s>WASHINGTON/CARACAS (Reuters) - The United States on Monday imposed sanctions on three Venezuelans and 20 companies for narcotics trafficking activity, as it seeks to increase pressure on socialist President Nicolas Maduro.

Of the newly sanctioned companies, 16 are based in Venezuela and four in Panama. They are owned or controlled by the three individuals, the U.S. Treasury said in a statement on its website.

“We will deny corrupt Venezuelan regime officials access to the U.S. financial system as we work with international partners to support the Venezuelan people in restoration of democracy and a return to prosperity,” said U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence also called for the Organization of American States to suspend Venezuela’s membership in the 35-nation group.

Pence, in a speech to the OAS, urged Maduro to suspend elections scheduled for May 20, saying they would be a “fraud” and a “sham.” He also urged Venezuela’s neighbors in the hemisphere to step up their own measures against Caracas.

“The time has come, first and foremost, to cut off Venezuela’s corrupt leaders from laundering money through your financial systems. Secondly, the time has come to enact visa restrictions that prevent Venezuela’s leaders from entering your nations. And finally, we call on all freedom-loving nations across our hemisphere to hold Maduro accountable for destroying Venezuelans’ democracy,” Pence said.

Venezuela’s Information Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Maduro, himself subject to sanctions last year, regularly laughs off Washington’s disapproval and blames the U.S. “empire” for his country’s economic woes, saying it is trying to undermine his administration.

Pence previously has urged the international community to increase pressure on Maduro, who the United States blames for a deep recession and hyperinflation in Venezuela that have caused shortages of food and medicine and a flood of migrants into neighboring countries.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has already imposed some financial and individual sanctions on Maduro’s government, accusing senior officials of rights abuses and corruption.

The Trump administration has also been weighing new oil-related sanctions on a Venezuelan oil services company and on insurance coverage for tankers carrying Venezuelan oil.

Oil prices rose to their highest levels since late 2014 on Monday, boosted by fresh troubles for Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA [PDVSA.UL] and a looming decision on whether the United States will reimpose sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.</s>The U.S. Department of the Treasury has put new sanctions on three Venezuelans and 20 entities for connections to drug trafficking.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence announced the new sanctions on Venezuela during a speech Monday at the Organization of American States in Washington.

Condemning Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro's regime, Pence said the upcoming elections in Venezuela would be a "fake election with a fake outcome," calling on Maduro to postpone them.

"Suspend this sham election. Hold real elections, give the people of Venezuela real choices" Pence said "because the Venezuelan people deserve to live in democracy once again".

The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) identified Venezuelan nationals Pedro Luis Martin Olivares (Martin), "as a significant foreign narcotics trafficker pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act)", according to a statement.

Walter Alexander Del Nogal Marquez (Del Nogal) and Mario Antonio Rodriguez Espinoza (Rodriguez) were also identified "for materially assisting in, or providing financial or technological support for or to, or providing goods or services in support of, the international narcotics trafficking activities of Martin."

“This action is in response to Martin’s extensive drug trafficking and money laundering activities. Systemic corruption and a collapse in the rule of law are defining features of Venezuela’s government,” said Secretary of the Treasury Steven T. Mnuchin, according to the statement.

“We will deny corrupt Venezuelan regime officials access to the U.S. financial system as we work with international partners to support the Venezuelan people in restoration of democracy and a return to prosperity.”

OFAC also identified 20 companies in Venezuela and Panama linked to the three men.

In January, the United States sanctioned four current or former Venezuelan officials associated with corruption or repression in Venezuela.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is designating a former official of the Venezuelan intelligence service, two of his aides and 20 companies as a narcotics traffickers.

Vice President Mike Pence is announcing the sanctions on Pedro Luis Martin Olivares during a speech Monday at the Organization of American States.

Those sanctioned Monday are in addition to the dozens of current and former Venezuelan officials the U.S. already has targeted.

They include Vice President Tareck El Aissami for alleged involvement in international drug trafficking. The U.S. also has imposed economic sanctions on Venezuela at a time when it's seeking to refinance a huge international debt.</s>WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Monday designated a former official of the Venezuelan intelligence service, two of his aides and 20 companies under their control as narcotics traffickers.

Vice President Mike Pence announced the sanctions on Pedro Luis Martin Olivares during a speech at the Organization of American States.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control said that Martin was indicted on 2015 by a grand jury in Florida for willfully conspiring to distribute a controlled substance into the United States and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance on board an aircraft registered in the United States.

Additionally, OFAC designated Walter Alexander Del Nogal Marquez and Mario Antonio Rodriguez Espinoza for assisting Martin, and 20 companies in Venezuela and Panama that are owned or controlled by these three individuals.

The action freezes any of their assets in the U.S. or held by people in the U.S.

Those sanctioned Monday are in addition to the dozens of current and former Venezuelan officials the U.S. already has targeted.

They include Vice President Tareck El Aissami for alleged involvement in international drug trafficking. The U.S. also has imposed economic sanctions on Venezuela at a time when it's seeking to refinance a huge international debt.</s>The Treasury Department announced new sanctions on three Venezuelans as the U.S. ratchets up pressure on the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who has overseen a crackdown on protesters amid an economic crisis fueled by rapid inflation.

The sanctions targets include Pedro Luis Martin Olivares, a former Venezuelan intelligence official now under indictment in Florida on drug trafficking charges. The penalties also cover two people identified as his associates, Walter Alexander Del Nogal Marquez and Mario Antonio Rodriguez Espinoza, along with 20 companies in Venezuela and Panama the Treasury Department says are owned or controlled by the three.

The three people were designated for sanctions under a U.S. law targeting narcotics kingpins.

The Treasury Department said in a statement that Martin used his government position to accept bribes from drug traffickers, and helped facilitate the movement of multi-ton loads of cocaine through Venezuelan airspace. The 20 companies -- of which 16 are based in Venezuela -- were used to launder illicit proceeds from the drug trade, according to the statement.

“This action is in response to Martin’s extensive drug trafficking and money laundering activities. Systemic corruption and a collapse in the rule of law are defining features of Venezuela’s government,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in the statement. “We will deny corrupt Venezuelan regime officials access to the U.S. financial system as we work with international partners to support the Venezuelan people in restoration of democracy and a return to prosperity.”

The sanctions are the latest in a series of financial penalties the Trump Administration has imposed on the Maduro government. In March, the U.S. banned purchases of a cryptocurrency the Venezuelan government rolled out. In August, the administration froze assets of eight current and former Venezuelan officials, including Adan Chavez, brother of the late president Hugo Chavez, and Hermann Escarra, a constitutional adviser to Maduro. And earlier last year, the administration took the unusual step of sanctioning Maduro directly after he proceeded with a vote on a new assembly that was a first step to revise the constitution.</s>A man and a woman from eastern New Brunswick are facing charges following an eight-month drug trafficking investigation, according to the RCMP.

Police say their investigation began in September 2017 and resulted in a search warrant being executed at a home in Petit-Cap, N.B., which is about 35 kilometres from Shediac.

RCMP officers searched the home on Route 950 and seized a significant quantity of methamphetamine, cocaine, hydromorphone, oxycodone, cannabis resin, cannabis marijuana, cash, a prohibited knife and other items used to facilitate drug trafficking.

Mario Clement Leblanc, 32, and Sally Cormier, 41, of Petit-Cap have been charged with the following:
• Six counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking methamphetamine, cocaine, cannabis resin, cannabis marijuana, hydromorphone and oxycodone
• Possession of items used to facilitate drug trafficking

LeBlanc and Cormier appeared in Moncton provincial court Monday and remain in custody.

LeBlanc is scheduled to appear in court again Thursday, while Cormier will face a judge on May 15.
The United States imposes sanctions on three Venezuelans and 20 drug entities for trafficking activity.