AP: WH To Sanction Venezuela VP, Accuses Him Of Being A Drug Kingpin

In this Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017 photo, Venezuela's Vice-President Tareck El Aissami, right, is saluted by Boilivarian Army officer upon his arrival for a military parade at Fort Tiuna in Caracas, Venezuela. A biparti... In this Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017 photo, Venezuela's Vice-President Tareck El Aissami, right, is saluted by Boilivarian Army officer upon his arrival for a military parade at Fort Tiuna in Caracas, Venezuela. A bipartisan group of 34 U.S. lawmakers has sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to step up pressure on Venezuela's government by immediately sanctioning officials responsible for corruption and human rights abuses. The letter, partly prompted by an Associated Press investigation on graft in Venezuela’s food imports, also calls for a thorough probe into alleged drug trafficking and support for Middle Eastern terror groups by the country’s vice president. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) MORE LESS
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WASHINGTON (AP) — 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.

___

Associated Press writer Joshua Goodman reported this story in Bogota, Colombia, and AP writer Josh Lederman reported in Washington.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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