U.S. hits Venezuela VP for drug dealing in latest move against Maduro inner circle

In a major escalation of its confrontation with Venezuela, the United States on Monday accused that country’s vice president of drug trafficking and money laundering. The Trump administration said its took the action after a years-long investigation into Vice President Tareck El Aissami’s ties to the international narcotics trade. El Aissami, Venezuela’s former minister of interior who was once the governor of Aragua state, is the highest-ranking Venezuelan to be hit by U.S. sanctions, which included a freeze on all his known U.S. assets, including several Miami properties and a private airplane. More…