Venezuela prisoner swap

Washington: Venezuela yesterday freed seven Americans, including five oil executives, in exchange for two relatives of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro jailed in the United States on drug convictions, US officials said.

The swap included executives of Citgo Petroleum held for years, as well as US Marine veteran Matthew Heath and another US citizen named Osman Khan. They were exchanged for two of Maduro’s wife’s nephews, who were arrested in 2015 on drugs charges.

The prisoner transfer, which one US official said took place at an airport in an unspecified third country, followed months of secretive talks with Maduro’s socialist government, which is under strict US sanctions. — Reuters