Venezuela's Maduro calls nephews' drug conviction 'U.S. imperialism'
Source: Reuters
WORLD NEWS | Fri Nov 25, 2016 | 7:00pm EST
Venezuela's Maduro calls nephews' drug conviction 'U.S. imperialism'
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Friday that the United States convicted his wife's nephews on drug charges last week to weaken his leftist government.
Two nephews of Venezuela's first lady were found guilty earlier this month in a jury trial on charges that they tried to carry out a multimillion-dollar drug deal to obtain a large amount of cash to help their family stay in power.
In his first comments since the conviction, Maduro blasted what he said was a clear sign of "U.S. imperialism."
"You think it's just by chance that the imperialists created a case that had as its only objective to attack the First Lady, the First Combatant, the wife of the president?" Maduro said in an hours-long speech during a "Women's March" in Caracas, accusing Washington of seeking to weaken his administration.
The case has been an embarrassment for the leftist leader amid an economic crisis in the oil-rich nation that has left millions going hungry because they cannot find or afford food. The high-profile case was one of several in which U.S. prosecutors have linked individuals tied to the Venezuelan government to drug trafficking.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-usa-crime-idUSKBN13K2E8