The US claimed Friday it had seized another tanker accused of trying to break a partial naval blockade on Venezuela – the fifth ship taken by force in recent weeks.
President Donald Trump has deployed a huge naval force in the Caribbean, killing scores of people sailing in small boats, seizing tankers, and carrying out a stunning coup against Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
The latest vessel seized was the Olina, which US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said was "another 'ghost fleet' tanker ship suspected of carrying embargoed oil" that "departed Venezuela attempting to evade US forces."
"The ghost fleets will not outrun justice. They will not hide under false claims of nationality," Noem wrote on X, saying the Coast Guard carried out the seizure.
US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which is responsible for American forces in the region, said US Marines and Navy personnel also took part in the operation, launching from the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier.
"Once again, our joint interagency forces sent a clear message this morning: 'There is no safe haven for criminals,'" SOUTHCOM said in a post on X that included a video clip showing US forces roping down from a helicopter and taking control of the ship.
President Donald Trump said last month that he had ordered a "blockade" of sanctioned oil vessels heading to and from Venezuela, and US forces have taken control of five ships since then, including three this week.
Among them was a Russia-linked vessel that was seized in the North Atlantic on Wednesday in an operation condemned by Moscow, after being pursued by the US from off the coast of Venezuela.UN experts have declared the blockade an illegal act of armed aggression against Venezuela.