A Turkish man was arrested in Florida on Saturday for allegedly violating US sanctions by conspiring to transport oil for Venezuela’s state-run energy company, authorities reported Monday.

Axar.az reports that , citing AFP, Taskin Torlak, 37, was detained in Miami while attempting to board a flight to Turkiye, officials said.

The US Attorney for the District of Columbia, Matthew Graves, said in a statement: “This defendant is accused of conspiring to illegally sell Venezuelan oil, using deceit and subterfuge to disguise its origin.”

“Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, PDVSA, was sanctioned by the US government to prevent the regime from further depleting the country’s resources while it remains in power unlawfully,” Graves added.

The criminal complaint revealed that Torlak, along with unnamed accomplices, has been involved in a sophisticated operation since at least November 2020, aimed at bypassing US sanctions to ship oil products from both Venezuela and Iran.