Venezuela's Maduro hires Chavez cousin, drug kingpin for powerful oil industry roles

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President Trump confirms conversations with Venezuela's disputed government

Governments in Washington and Caracas confirm talks are ongoing over the Venezuela crisis as U.S. Southern Command prepares for disputed President Nicolas Maduro's exit; Ellison Barber reports.

President Nicolás Maduro on Monday named a powerful ally declared by the U.S. as a drug kingpin and the cousin of the late socialist leader Hugo Chávez to revamp Venezuela’s oil industry amid massive gasoline shortages.

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Tareck El Aissami was appointed oil minister, and Asdrúbal Chávez was tapped to head of state-run oil giant PDVSA. The appointments were published in the official gazette and announced on state television. The government has yet to comment.

Both positions were occupied until now by Gen. Manuel Quevedo, who during his 28-month tenure watched as oil production in the country sitting atop the world’s largest petroleum reserves collapsed by 65 percent.

“The country’s only source of revenue, oil, has collapsed under Quevedo and the U.S. sanctions put the final nails in his coffin,” said Russ Dallen, head of the Miami-based investment firm Caracas Capital Markets.

Tareck El Aissami. (Carlos Becerra/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The shakeup comes amid crashing global oil prices and it follows a two-decade collapse of crude production at Venezuela’s state-run oil firm, which today pumps an amount equal to 19 percent of levels seen when the late Chávez took power in 1999. Critics blame rampant corruption and mismanagement.

Venezuelans in recent weeks have experienced critical gasoline shortages and mile-long gas lines lasting days even in the capital of Caracas, the seat of the country’s politics and wealth normally spared the shortages seen across the nation.

In a bid to meet domestic gasoline demand, Venezuela has turned to Iran, receiving the first of several shipments of a key chemical catalyst needed to convert the South American nation’s crude to fuel.

Asdrúbal Chávez had served for a few months as head of Houston-based CITGO, a PDVSA subsidiary, but had to abandon the position after he was denied a U.S. visa.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement recently added El Aissami to its list of 10 most-wanted fugitives. He was sanctioned in 2017 as allegedly being a major drug trafficker and then was indicted two years later on allegations of violating those sanctions.

A key adviser to Maduro, El Aissami, 45, has served previously as vice president and most recently minister of industry. El Aissami is among dozens of Maduro allies sanctioned by Washington, while Chávez has not been targeted by the Trump administration with financial measures.

El Aissami was indicted for the second time by a U.S. federal court last month for being part of the alleged narcoterrorist conspiracy alongside Maduro. Authorities offered a $10 million bounty for information leading to El Aissami’s arrest and $15 million for Maduro’s arrest.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela's Vice President Tareck El Aissami and Cilia Flores take part in a military exercise at Fuerte Tiuna military base in Caracas, Venezuela February 24, 2018. (REUTERS/Marco Bello) 

Despite having the world’s largest oil reserves, Venezuela’s political and social crisis continues to deepen, as the U.S. and a coalition of nearly 60 nations press Maduro to stand down. Those nations recognize opposition politician Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s legitimate president, arguing that Maduro’s election in 2018 was a sham because the most popular opposition candidates were banned from running.

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The crisis had driven more than 4.5 million Venezuelans from their home, most crossing into neighboring Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, while escaping failing public services like power, running water and adequate medical care.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.