Venezuelan Officials Charged With Violations of Sanctions, Export Controls

Fifteen former and current Venezuela government officials were charged by the U.S. Justice Department for corruption and drug trafficking, including several charges for sanctions and export control violations, the agency said in a March 26 news release. In addition to narco-terrorism charges against Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, separate indictments charge Tareck Zaidan El Aissami Maddah, Venezuela’s vice president for the economy; Joselit Ramirez Camacho, superintendent of crypto currency; and Samark Lopez Bello, a Venezuelan businessman, with evasion of U.S. sanctions. Maddah and Camacho worked with U.S. people and companies to provide flight services to benefit Maduro’s 2018 presidential campaign, which violated U.S. sanctions against Maduro’s election efforts.

In addition, Oscar Rafael Colmenarez Villalobos, a former Venezuelan Air Force officer, was charged with violations of the Arms Export Control Act. Villalobos allegedly worked with an Arizona-based aviation company to smuggle T-76 military aircraft engines from the U.S. to Venezuela, and made “false and misleading” statements on shipping and export control documents in attempts to conceal the activities.