The Treasury has targeted the shipping sector and blacklisted President Nicolas Maduro's nephews

The US has blacklisted six Venezuelan shipping companies and six vessels as part of a pressure campaign against President Nicolas Maduro.

US President Donald Trump has accused the Maduro government of helping cartels smuggle drugs into the US - a claim Maduro denied and said was being used as a cover for an attempt at regime change.

The blacklisted ships and companies operate in Venezuela's oil sector and are aiding the "corrupt narco-terrorist regime," the US Treasury said in a statement on Thursday.

Sanctions were also imposed on Maduro's three nephews, two of whom were sentenced in the US on drug-trafficking charges and later released in 2022 as part of a prisoner swap.

The new restrictions show that the US is "holding the regime and its circle of cronies and companies accountable for its continued crimes," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.

The US has dispatched a naval armada to the Caribbean and has since September struck more than 20 alleged drug boats in international waters. Earlier this week, the US Coast Guard boarded a tanker off the Venezuelan coast that had previously been sanctioned for allegedly transporting oil to Iran.

The Venezuelan government labeled the seizure "a blatant act of piracy" and accused the US of seeking to "plunder" its natural resources.

Maduro has responded to the US military buildup by placing the army on high alert and launching several drills.
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Maduro over the phone on Thursday, expressing support for Venezuela's resolve to "defend national interests and sovereignty against foreign pressure."