US military seizes sanctioned Venezuelan oil tanker in 'pre-dawn' operation
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem shared video to X from a "pre-dawn action" Saturday of a Venezuelan oil tanker seized by Coast Guard troops. (Credit: Secretary Kristi Noem via X)
A U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Special Reaction Team (MSRT) assisted by the U.S. Navy, seized a second oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela Saturday, a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem took to X to share further details of the operation: "In a pre-dawn action early this morning on Dec. 20, the US Coast Guard with the support of the Department of War apprehended an oil tanker that was last docked in Venezuela."
"The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco terrorism in the region," Noem said. "We will find you, and we will stop you."
Noem also praised the service members involved in the operation, thanking the "brave men and women" of the U.S. Coast Guard and the Department of War for carrying out the interdiction.
U.S. troops took over a Venezuelan oil tanker on Saturday, Dec. 20. (DHS Secretary Kristi Noem via X)
The operation involved a U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Special Reaction Team assisted by the U.S. Navy, marking the latest enforcement action tied to President Donald Trump’s announced blockade of sanctioned oil tankers.
The seizure comes days after Trump announced a "total and complete blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela on Tuesday.
The first tanker seized this week occurred on Wednesday, with video released by the Justice Department showing agents rappelling onto the vessel with weapons drawn.
An oil tanker is seen anchored in Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela. (Jose Bula Urrutia/UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images)
\Attorney General Pam Bondi took to X to share details of the seizure, writing, "for multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations."
"This seizure, completed off the coast of Venezuela, was conducted safely and securely—and our investigation alongside the Department of Homeland Security to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil continues," Bondi concluded.
China is the world's greatest user of Venezuelan crude oil, Reuters reported.
Newly released footage shows U.S. forces securing a Venezuelan oil tanker. (@AGPamBondi via X)
Before this month, the last time Venezuelan oil tankers were seized by the U.S. military was in 2014, under President Barack Obama.
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15% of U.S.-deployed Navy ships are currently in the Caribbean region, the Navy confirmed to Fox News Wednesday.
The Pentagon referred Fox News Digital to the White House, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fox News Digital's Alex Koch contributed to this reporting.
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