OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro described best the actions of Spain's former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero vis-a-vis Venezuela, when he said recently that Zapatero was "an imbecile". Almagro said that someone who needs seven clarifications to understand something must be an imbecile. Almagro does not know, though assumes as everyone else, that Zapatero is an apologist for Nicolas Maduro's regime, working hard towards keeping Maduro's criminal organization in power.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury added today to its Venezuela-related Designations (SDN list) a number of chavistas (see below). It is worth highlighting that Cilia Flores, partner of Nicolas Maduro, is the true power behind the chavista regime. Jorge and Delcy Rodriguez are also key players in chavismo's power structure.
 

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Rafael Ramirez, former concurrent Energy Minister and CEO of Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), basically managed Venezuela's income between 2004-2014. While at the helm of PDVSA, over $1.2 trillion got past his hands. Ramirez is even on the record, admitting that he oversaw transfers between PDVSA and the Venezuelan State worth some $480 billion.

Further to previous article about the kind of solution that could realistically be put in place to deal with Venezuela's crisis, perhaps it's worth expanding on strategy. Lots of people are thinking drones, or military invasions are the only way. But before the first Hellfire drops, OFAC should SDN / SSI PDVSA, and every subsidiary, including CITGO. Assets in the Caribbean and Nynas could be added for good measure.