Venezuelan tycoon sues US to lift narcotics sanctions
By
Associated Press
Miami
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MIAMI (AP) — A top Venezuelan businessman close to President Nicolas Maduro's government has sued the U.S. Department of Treasury, alleging he's the victim of a false campaign identifying him as a international narcotics kingpin.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday by Samark López in Washington federal court said sanctions in 2017 designating him a “drug kingpin” had devastated his wealth, reputation and economic livelihood.
The lawsuit raises the stakes in one of the most far-reaching of dozens of sanctions cases brought against Venezuelan insiders in recent years, a key factor in furtive attempts by the Biden administration to support a negotiated solution to the country's long running political impasse.