The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday blacklisted a former officer in Venezuela's National Guard for his alleged role in drug trafficking and money laundering. Vassyly Kotosky Villarroel Ramirez, 41, who was a captain in Venezuela's Guardia Nacional, was sanctioned pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. Villarroel arranged for the transportation of cocaine from Colombia to Mexico and the return flow of U.S. currency generated by the sale of the drug, using airports, seaports, and official government vehicles in Venezuela, Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said. It added that his illicit work benefited Mexican drug cartels, including the Sinaloa Cartel, the Zetas, and the Beltran Leyva Organization. "Villarroel Ramirez is a prime example of a narcotics trafficker who exploited his former military position and connections to facilitate the transport of cocaine to Mexico and profit from the sales that followed," said OFAC Director Adam Szubin. Villarroel
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