US forces have seized another Venezuelan oil tanker in the Caribbean waters, confirmed Kristi Noem, Secretary, US Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The move, she said, is part of Washington’s ongoing pressure campaign on the Venezuelan administration to crack its whip on drug traffickers in its country.
Noem said the US Coast Guard had apprehended the second oil tanker on Saturday with assistance from the Defence Department.
The US, she added, “will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco-terrorism in the region”.
The Venezuelan government denounced the move on Saturday and assured that it will take all measures to show the international community the illegality of the actions by the US.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s administration of using oil revenue to fund drug trafficking and terrorism, although there has so far been no evidence produced by the United States to back its claims and carry out what the US Congress believes are illegal killings in the Caribbean.
With Congressional critics raising concerns over the legality and proportionality of the operations, particularly amid reports of civilian casualties in related maritime incidents, the Trump administration is under the scanner, especially after 99 people lost their lives in the alleged boat attacks carried out by the US naval force at the orders of Pentagon Chief and Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth.
Earlier, on December 10, the US had seized the first oil tanker from Venezuela on grounds that it was transporting crude oil to Iran and Hezbollah. On Tuesday, Trump ordered a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers in and out of Venezuela.
