The United States indicted Venezuelan industry minister and former vice president Tareck El Aissami on sanctions violations Friday, two years after naming him a narcotics “kingpin” for allegedly giving cover to drug traffickers. Aissami, a close ally of President Nicolas Maduro, and businessman Samark Lopez Bello were indicted together in New York and charged with violating US sanctions by using private jets to fly to meetings around the world. The indictment came as the US steps up pressure on the embattled government of Maduro, who the US has branded illegitimate.
