Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro appointed a powerful drug kingpin and cousin of the late president Hugo Chavez as an oil minister amid massive fuel shortages across the nation. 

Maduro hired his economy vice president, Tareck El Aissami, as the new oil minister. Aissami has been charged in the U.S. for drug trafficking. Maduro also assigned Asdrubal Chavez as interim president of state-owned oil firm PDVSA. 

Both positions were previously occupied by General Manuel Quevedo, who watched the country's oil production collapse by 65 percent during his 28-month tenure. 

Venezuela once had a 1.3 million-barrel-per-day reining network. It failed primarily due to years of under-investment. The U.S. sanction also strangled fuel imports, leading to the downfall of the country's only source of revenue. 

Venezuelans wait hours outside gasoline stations, paying above $2 per liter for gas. Some turn to the black market. 

The shakeup comes following a crash on global oil prices. The rampant corruption and mismanagement cause the oil firm to pump an amount equal to 19 percent of levels seen during Hugo Chavez's administration. 


El Aissami

A principal adviser to Maduro, the 45-year-old once served as vice president. El Aissami is one of Maduro's numerous allies who received sanctions from Washington. 

The U.S. named El Aissami as one of its top ten most-wanted fugitives. In 2017, he was sanction for being a major drug trafficker. Two years later, he was indicted for violating those sanctions. 

In March, El Aisammi was indicted by the American federal court for collaborating with Maduro on an alleged narcoterrorist conspiracy. Authorities offered a $25 million bounty for information leading to Maduro and El Aissami's arrest. 


Indictment

Both parties were indicted in connection to a narco-terrorism and international cocaine trafficking conspiracy. The United States accused Maduro of running a drug cartel despite his ascension to the presidency. According to federal prosecutors in Miami and Manhattan, Maduro imported hundreds of tons of cocaine into the U.S.

During his reign, Venezuela's economy collapsed into confusion, prompting millions of people to flee the country. The U.S. Justice Department said the Venezuelan government is embroiled in extensive corruption---enriching those sitting in top government positions. 

The country's political and social crisis has also deepened in recent years. The U.S., along with 60 other nations, recognize the opposition, Juan Guaido, as Venezuela's legitimate president. They believe Maduro rigged the 2018 election by banned most popular opposition candidates from running. 

The crisis has also led to failing public services, including power, water, and proper medical care. The country's inflation rate was so high people could only afford to buy rotten meat for food. Most families eat only one meal a day. Children are experiencing terrible growth defects due to chronic malnutrition.

The conditions have prompted multiple protests from people demanding food as rations turn scarce. Demonstrators in three states resorted to violence and looting, forcing their way into farms and food retailers. According to an article published two years ago, more than 93 percent of Venezuelans suffer from hunger, with most salvaging what's left in the trash to survive. 


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