On Monday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro named his economic vice president, Tareck El Aissami - who was charged with drug trafficking in the United States - as oil minister in the face of severe fuel shortages gripping the nation.
Maduro also appointed Asdrubal Chavez, cousin of the late President Hugo Chavez, as provisional head of the national oil company PDVSA, as per the decisions reported in the official government newspaper.
Until now, both positions were held by Gen. Manuel Quevedo, who, during his 28-month term, saw oil production in the country sitting on top of the world's biggest oil resources fall by 65 percent.
Venezuela's primary source of income, oil, crashed under Quevedo and the US sanctions "put the final nails on his coffin," Russ Dallen, chief of Caracas Capital Markets, a Miami-headquartered investment company, said.
In 2017, the US named El Aissami as having played "a major role in international drug trafficking" and in August 2019 put him on a most-wanted list of fugitives.
In his previous positions, El Aissami managed or controlled in part over 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) of drug shipments from Venezuela on several occasions, including those with Mexico's and the United States' final destinations, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency said on its official website.
The 1.3 million barrel-per-day refinery network in Venezuela has all but crumbled following years of under-investment. Sanctions imposed by the US intended to unseat Maduro have crippled imports of petrol, forcing Venezuelans either to wait outside gas stations for hours or to turn to the more expensive black market.
Last week, Venezuelans reported paying over $2 per liter ($7.57 per gallon) for gasoline, one of the highest prices in the world, and a stunning setback for an OPEC member state that has long been proud of having the cheapest fuel on earth.
Venezuela has turned to Iran in a bid to meet domestic demand for gasoline, receiving the first of many shipments of a crucial chemical catalyst needed to convert the South American nation's oil to fuel.
Asdrubal had worked as head of CITGO, a PDVSA subsidiary based in Houston for a few months, but had to give up the role after being refused a US visa.
For more than a year, the US has been trying to oust Maduro, a socialist who holds sway over a failing economy. Washington recognizes opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim leader alongside some 60 other nations. US State Secretary Mike Pompeo renewed support for Guaido in a phone call Monday, the US Department of State reported.
