Which senior Venezuelan officials have been sanctioned for drug trafficking ties to Maduro?
This fact-check may be outdated. Consider refreshing it to get the most current information.
Executive summary
U.S. actions since 2017 and especially in 2025 have singled out a set of senior Venezuelan figures and close associates for alleged ties to drug trafficking and for propping up Nicolás Maduro’s rule — including long-accused network leaders (the Cartel de los Soles), former and current officials indicted or sanctioned for narcotics links, and three nephews of Maduro’s wife designated in December 2025 (Efrain Antonio Campo Flores, Franqui Francisco Flores de Freitas, and Carlos Erik Malpica Flores) [1] [2] [3]. U.S. press releases and enforcement actions also list other high‑level targets such as Tareck El Aissami, Diosdado Cabello and Nicolás Maduro himself in broader criminal or cartel-related allegations and indictments over the last several years [4] [5].
1. Who the U.S. and allied governments name as narco-linked senior officials
The U.S. government’s most explicit designation came in mid‑2025 when OFAC described the Cartel de los Soles as a Venezuela‑based criminal group “headed by Nicolás Maduro Moros and other high‑ranking Venezuelan individuals in the Maduro regime” and sanctioned that network for providing material support to illicit trafficking organizations [1]. Independent and investigative agencies have previously accused named senior figures — for example, Vice President Tareck El Aissami and opposition‑era allegations against Diosdado Cabello — and U.S. indictments and sanctioning histories list Maduro and several current or former top officials among targets of narco‑trafficking and related corruption allegations [4] [5].
2. The “narco‑nephews”: a concrete, recent targeting
In December 2025 the Treasury announced sanctions on three nephews of First Lady Cilia Flores — Efrain Antonio Campo Flores and Franqui Francisco Flores de Freitas (known in public reporting as the “narco‑nephews” after a 2016 U.S. conviction) and Carlos Erik Malpica Flores — citing resumed drug‑trafficking activity after their clemency and return to Venezuela; the State Department and Treasury framed these designations as part of broader actions against Maduro’s familial network [6] [7] [2]. Media outlets and U.S. statements report that two of those nephews had earlier been convicted in the United States and later received clemency in 2022 [7] [8].
3. Indictments, sanctions and designations over time
The U.S. approach combines criminal indictments, OFAC sanctions and, in 2025, terrorism‑style listings: indictments unsealed in 2025 charged Maduro and senior officials with narco‑terrorism and related crimes, and OFAC had by mid‑2025 sanctioned more than 150 Venezuelans under various authorities [5] [9]. The administration escalated further by designating the Cartel de los Soles as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group and by linking it to Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel [1].
4. What prosecutors and Treasury say vs. independent caveats
Treasury and Justice officials present a narrative of centralized, regime‑led trafficking — calling Maduro and his “criminal associates” responsible for narcotics flows into the U.S. [6] [3]. Independent analysts and some reporting note a different view: “Cartel of the Suns” can function as a descriptive term for corruption among military and state actors rather than a tightly hierarchical cartel directly controlled by Maduro, and some experts say evidence of a formal organization led by the president is disputed [4]. Available sources document U.S. charges and sanctions but also record expert disagreement over whether those allegations describe a formal cartel or a diffuse system of corruption [4] [1].
5. Allied sanctions and multinational coordination
The EU, Canada, the UK and U.S. coordinated sanction rounds around key political moments — notably around Maduro’s 2024–25 re‑inauguration — adding senior judges, security and military figures to restrictive lists for undermining democracy and for human‑rights abuses; those lists sometimes overlap with drug‑related targets but are not identical to narco‑trafficking indictments [10] [11]. Treasury releases and allied council decisions reflect a policy blend of criminal, diplomatic and financial pressure [12] [11].
6. Enforcement and operational context
Sanctions have been paired with operational measures — seizures of tankers, designation of vessels and companies, and amplified military presence in the Caribbean — that the U.S. says are aimed at disrupting illicit oil and drug networks tied to the regime [13] [14] [6]. Domestic legal actions in the U.S., including prior convictions and indictments, underpin some sanctions [5], while executive orders and OFAC lists provide the administrative tools for broader targeting [15].
7. Limitations and what sources do not say
Available sources do not provide a single, universally accepted, court‑proven ledger naming every “senior Venezuelan official” who is definitively convicted today of trafficking on behalf of Maduro; instead the record is a mix of U.S. criminal indictments, OFAC designations, diplomatic sanctions and independent analysis that sometimes disputes centralized‑cartel characterizations [5] [1] [4]. Readers should note the difference between administrative sanctions or indictment‑level allegations and criminal convictions adjudicated in court [5].
Conclusion: U.S. sanctions and indictments increasingly tie Maduro’s inner circle to drug trafficking, with specific punitive actions — including the December 2025 sanctions on three nephews and the July 2025 Cartel de los Soles designation — but independent experts caution against treating every allegation as proof of a single formal cartel run top‑down from the presidency; the public record combines legal action, policy choices and analytical dispute [1] [7] [4].