Federal authorities arrested Turkish businessman Taskin Torlak, 37, in Miami on Monday as he attempted to return to Turkey, charging him with orchestrating an elaborate scheme to help Venezuela’s state-run oil company bypass U.S. sanctions.
According to Justice Department documents, Torlak operated multiple companies that facilitated sanctioned oil shipments beginning in 2020. Prosecutors allege he collaborated with unnamed co-conspirators and companies from Ukraine, China, Indonesia, and other countries to transport Venezuelan crude oil when most Western entities avoided such transactions due to U.S. sanctions targeting President Nicolas Maduro’s regime.
“We could use one of the clean names to avoid money getting stuck somewhere,” Torlak allegedly wrote to a co-conspirator, revealing efforts to conceal transaction beneficiaries and trick U.S. banks into processing payments for the illegal oil transport.
The scheme allegedly employed sophisticated evasion tactics, with perpetrators disabling mandatory vessel tracking systems during oil transport, frequently changing vessel registries to use flags of convenience, and creating complex payment structures to hide Venezuelan connections.
“The Justice Department will continue to hold accountable those involved in criminal efforts to circumvent sanctions imposed on the Maduro regime,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen in announcing the arrest.
The case highlights ongoing U.S. efforts to enforce sanctions imposed after Maduro’s contested 2018 re-election, when key opponents were barred from running. Tensions escalated this year after Maduro claimed victory in a third six-year term amid opposition claims of election fraud, prompting new U.S. sanctions against officials accused of electoral interference and human rights violations.
Court records did not indicate whether Torlak had secured legal representation. The arrest marks a significant development in U.S. efforts to maintain pressure on Venezuela’s oil sector, a crucial source of revenue for Maduro’s government.
