NEW YORK – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York announced Friday that a former Venezuelan official and member the agency’s Most Wanted List has been designated as a target of the U.S. Department of State’s (DOS) Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program in an effort to end corruption and criminality tied to the Maduro regime in Venezuela. This investigation was conducted by the HSI New York and HSI Miami El Dorado Financial Crimes Task Forces.
On Feb. 13, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) designated Lopez as a Specially Designated Narcotics Trafficker (SDNT) “for providing material assistance, financial support, or goods or services in support of…international narcotics trafficking activities.” Specifically, OFAC identified Lopez as a “key frontman” for El Aissami, handling business arrangements and financial matters that generated significant profits as a result of El Aissami’s illegal activity.