Washington: U.S. authorities have apprehended a Turkish national accused of attempting to violate sanctions by transporting oil from Venezuela, the Justice Department announced on Monday.
In June, the United States reimposed sanctions on the Venezuelan state oil company, PDVSA, following President Nicolás Maduro’s failure to engage in negotiations with the political opposition and his refusal to commit to fair elections.
The Justice Department’s statement detailed that 37-year-old Taskin Torlak allegedly conspired to illegally sell Venezuelan oil by using deceitful tactics to obscure the oil’s Venezuelan origin. Torlak was arrested in Miami on Saturday while attempting to board a flight to Turkey.
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According to the department, Torlak and his associates reportedly renamed and reflagged oil tankers, as well as disabled the electronic tracking systems that monitor vessel locations. They are alleged to have received tens of millions of dollars from PDVSA for their illicit activities.
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In June, Reuters reported that PDVSA had begun utilizing tankers that operate off the radar to supply oil to Cuba. A significant portion of the tanker fleets owned by both Venezuela and Cuba is under U.S. sanctions, which also restrict their travel.
