US indicts Venezuela ex-vice president Tareck El Aissami on violating sanctions

The United States indicted former Venezuelan vice president Tareck El Aissami on sanctions violations Friday, two years after naming him a narcotics "kingpin" for allegedly giving cover to drug traffickers. Assaimi and businessman Samark Lopez Bello were indicted together in New York and charged with breaking US sanctions by using private jets to set up meetings around the world.

"El Aissami and Lopez Bello allegedly used private jets to set up private meetings around the globe including Turkey and Russia. It is necessary to impose sanctions against foreign persons seeking to gain power and control by circumventing the law," Home Land Security special agent Angel Melendez said in a statement.

(With inputs from agencies.)