US sanctions four Venezuelan officials as drug traffickers

The United States on Thursday listed a Venezuelan general, two politicians and an intelligence official as drug traffickers subject to sanctions. The US Treasury Department added the names of Major General Cliver Alcala, ruling party lawmaker Freddy Bernal, alternate president of the Latin American Parliament Amilcar Figueroa and intelligence official Ramon Madriz to the list, a statement said.
The Treasury Department statement provided no details on why the men were added to the list. US law calls for the seizure of any assets they may have in the United States and prohibits US citizens from doing business with them. The list of so-called Specially Designated Individuals is regularly updated on the basis of Treasury Department investigations into flows of money from drug trafficking or terrorism. The United States has a stormy relationship with Venezuela, accusing the government of President Hugo Chavez of failure in combating drug trafficking.