VENEZUELA VP BLASTS DRUG SANCTIONS IN NEW YORK TIMES AD

Caracas, Venezuela — Venezuela’s vice president took out a full-page advertisement in the New York Times on Wednesday to lash out at Trump administration’s decision to sanction him for drug trafficking. In the public letter, Tareck El Aissami called the accusations against him baseless as well as a violation of his human rights and dignity. He also touted his record as interior minister from 2008 to 2012, saying he had extradited 21 captured drug lords to the U.S. The Treasury Department last week froze El Aissami’s American bank accounts and those of an alleged business associate for allegedly helping facilitate large cocaine shipments from Venezuela. El Aissami said he has no assets or accounts in the U.S.