In a daring pre-dawn operation on Friday, the US Navy and Coast Guard intercepted a tanker suspected of transporting sanctioned Venezuelan oil, delivering a stern warning to smugglers and sanctioned nations that evasion is futile.

Military personnel from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, launched from the USS Gerald R. Ford, successfully seized the motor tanker Olina without encountering resistance, according to US Southern Command. This strategic operation was conducted to support the Department of Homeland Security.

The combatant command emphasized their stance on crime with a statement on X, declaring, “This morning, our joint interagency forces made it clear: criminals have no refuge.”

The operation was bolstered by the formidable presence of the Navy’s Amphibious Ready Group, including the USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio, and USS Fort Lauderdale, highlighting Washington’s intensifying efforts to combat illegal maritime activities in the Western Hemisphere.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem reported that the Coast Guard intercepted and seized the tanker in international waters east of the Caribbean Sea after it left Venezuela and attempted to dodge US enforcement.

“The world’s criminals are on notice,” Noem said in a post to X.

Officials suspect Olina is part of a shadowy “ghost fleet” used to move embargoed oil under false flags and fake claims of nationality — profits the Trump administration says bankroll illicit activity including narco-terrorism.

“The ghost fleets will not outrun justice,” Noem warned. “They will not hide under false claims of nationality.”

The seizure is part of the Department of War’s Operation Southern Spear, an aggressive campaign aimed at choking off illegal oil trafficking and restoring security across the region.

“This is owning the sea,” Noem said.