The evasion of sanctions by Nicolás Maduro’s regime continues, and an example of this is Harry Sargeant III, who maintains operations in Venezuela through North America Blue Energy Partners (NABEP). Those who think that the suspension of OFAC licenses for oil and gas companies would be enough to prevent the Venezuelan tyranny from financing itself are mistaken.
The American magnate linked to the Republican Party is unwilling to abandon his business dealings with Maduro’s regime and is maneuvering to remain in Venezuela by any means necessary. Through NABEP, he is the financial arm of operations in Petrocedeño within the Orinoco Oil Belt.
NABEP is part of Global Oil Management Group, a holding company that “covers oil refineries, oil marketing operations, development of alternative fuels, development of alternative energies, and transportation of oil and asphalt,” according to information from its website.
This is a company with substantial financial muscle and a high capacity, ready to grab a significant slice of the Venezuelan oil business, showing no qualms about financing and acting as a lifeline for Nicolás Maduro’s regime.
About NABEP
North American Blue Energy Partners describes itself on its LinkedIn account as “a leading company in the exploration, production, and development of oil and natural gas resources in North America. With extensive experience in the industry, we have positioned ourselves as a reliable and high-performance partner for our clients” (1). Its website directs directly to that of Global Oil Management Group, its parent company. Its Instagram account is private and has two followers.
In turn, Global Oil Management Group, headed by Harry Sargeant III, is registered in St. Kitts and Nevis on December 18, 2015, according to information provided by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) (2).
As can be seen, it is not just China interested in controlling Venezuelan oil fields, but also ravenous American companies — like those highlighted on these pages and Chevron — that, to get their hands on the lucrative business, violate their own country’s laws to participate in the game.
Harry Sargeant III’s Business with Maduro
Sargeant’s companies, like Chevron and other firms licensed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), were notified by this U.S. Treasury Department office of the suspension of their operational licenses and, therefore, had to leave the country by May 27.
However, the evasion of sanctions by Nicolás Maduro’s regime allows companies like North America Blue Energy Partners to continue operating clandestinely, in flagrant violation of the sanctions imposed by the United States.
Sargeant had permission from the U.S. government to import Venezuelan asphalt for 2 years, a task he carries out through his company Global Oil Terminals, pressed by OFAC to leave Venezuela after being granted an OFAC license in 2024 (3).
Sargeant signed a contract with PDVSA in January 2024 for the importation of six shipments of asphalt, each containing 95,000 barrels, intended for infrastructure projects in the U.S. (4)
By late April 2025, it was reported that Global Oil Management Group (GOMG) decided to temporarily suspend the development of this asphalt project. In May 2024, operations faced delays due to necessary repairs at the refinery facility. Activities resumed in August of that year. This new stoppage in 2025 would be due to financial difficulties faced by Sargeant’s company (5).
Sargeant After Venezuelan Oil
This Florida businessman is noted as one of the Americans lobbying the Trump administration to license the flow of heavy oil from Venezuela to the U.S.
“There is no doubt that the renewed flow of high-quality, low-cost Venezuelan asphalt to the United States has been a benefit to the American taxpayer,” Harry Sargeant IV, son of Harry Sargeant III and president of Global Oil Management Group told the press. This group imported about 43,000 barrels of liquid asphalt from Venezuela (6).
Harry Sargeant III was in Venezuela in 2018 when Manuel Quevedo was head of the Ministry of Oil. He did this alongside Alejandro Betancourt, a bolichico from Derwick, while seeking to enter the Venezuelan oil business and met with Nicolás Maduro.
Sources from Venezuela Política claim that Sargeant III is maneuvering with the U.S. government to obtain OFAC licenses that would allow him to buy Venezuelan crude and produce asphalt in Curacao. His argument is that Venezuelan oil is ideal for this purpose.
Other reports indicate that Harry Sargeant III has connections with Vice President and Minister of Oil, Delcy Rodríguez, among others who have facilitated his operations and business in the country.
To achieve his goals, he is willing to negotiate with God and the devil, as evidenced by the fact that, in 2019, when the so-called interim government was in place, Sargeant lobbied through then-deputy and member of the National Assembly’s finance committee, Rafael Guzmán, to secure an operations contract with PDVSA’s refinery in Curacao. He did not receive a response from the interim government, partly because it was not recognized by the Caribbean island.
Reports suggest that Sargeant met several times in the U.S. to negotiate the transfer of operations at the Curacao refinery to process and dispatch his asphalt to the United States. In 2023, his efforts bore fruit when the Curacao government allowed him to operate the refinery due to PDVSA’s failures (7).
Sargeant’s ties to key figures in the Venezuelan regime have led to protests over his role as a mediator in negotiations between Caracas and Washington. The magnate allegedly facilitated the meeting between the Venezuelan dictator and Donald Trump’s envoy, Richard Grenell.
About Erepla
Harry Sargeant II is also noted for participating in agreements with PDVSA and Erepla — controlled by him — a company with little track record that plans to invest in Venezuelan oil fields.
But PDVSA’s dealings with Erepla are not new, as in 2019 the Venezuelan state-owned company signed a contract with this Sargeant-led company, aiming to boost the dwindling oil production in Venezuela since then. The operations would take place in the oil fields of Tía Juana Lago and Rosa Mediano in the west, as well as in the Ayacucho 5 block of the Orinoco Belt in the east.
Thus, Erepla Services LLC, registered in Delaware in November 2018, would invest USD 500 million to increase Venezuelan oil production in exchange for a portion of the crude extracted. A business that seemingly made both parties forget past differences when PDVSA accused a company linked to Sargeant of failing to pay for several shipments of crude oil in 2002 and 2003 amounting to USD 52 million (8).
More Companies
Reimpet International Corporation, through Reimpet Holding Group C.A., is another company that, despite the withdrawal of OFAC licenses, continues to operate in Venezuela, according to sources from Venezuela Política.
Reimpet Holding Group C.A. is a Venezuelan company that works on the rehabilitation and/or repair of oil wells, especially in Anzoátegui state.
See in Sin Filtros “Woke: The Other Dictatorship Advancing in the West”:
Sources consulted:
1) LinkedIn. North American Blue Energy Partners. Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/north-american-blue-energy-partners
2) ICIJ. Global Oil Management Group LLC. Available at: https://offshoreleaks.icij.org/nodes/200517374
3) Guacamaya. (n.d.). “Trump Orders U.S. Asphalt Company to Exit Venezuela, According to WSJ”. Available at: https://guacamayave.com/en/trump-orders-u-s-asphalt-company-to-exit-venezuela-according-to-wsj/
4) Tal Cual. (May 28, 2024). “Bloomberg: Oil Magnate Obtains License to Continue Buying Asphalt from PDVSA”. Available at: https://talcualdigital.com/bloomberg-magnate-petrolero-obtiene-licencia-para-seguir-comprando-asfalto-a-pdvsa/
5) Curacao Chronicle. (April 29, 2025). “Global Oil Management Group Halts Asphalt Production Project in Curaçao Amid Financial Concerns”. Available at: https://www.curacaochronicle.com/post/main/global-oil-management-group-halts-asphalt-production-project-in-curacao-amid-financial-concerns/
6) El Pitazo. (March 29, 2025). “Profile | Harry Sargeant III, the American Oil Magnate Strengthening Business Ties with Venezuela”. Available at: https://elpitazo.net/economia/perfil-harry-sargeant-iii-el-magnate-petrolero-estadounidense-que-afianza-negocios-con-venezuela/
7) Hernández, Alejandro. (May 2, 2025). “The Tentacles of Harry Sargeant III in Venezuela”. In La Gran Aldea. Available at: https://lga.lagranaldea.com/2025/05/02/los-tentaculos-de-harry-sargeant-iii-en-venezuela/
8) Cohen, Luc and Ellsworth, Brian. (January 7, 2019). “Venezuela’s PDVSA in Oil Deal with Firm Part-Owned by Florida Republican”. In Reuters. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/article/business/venezuelas-pdvsa-in-oil-deal-with-firm-part-owned-by-florida-republican-idUSKCN1P11EM/