U.S. Seizes Venezuela-Linked Tanker Following Maduro’s Arrest

The Pentagon announced on Sunday that U.S. military forces conducted a raid on an oil tanker associated with Venezuela, which is currently under sanctions.

The Department of War shared online a dramatic video showing armed troops descending from a helicopter to board the Veronica III. This operation took place in the Indian Ocean after the vessel had been monitored since leaving the Caribbean Sea.

The tanker departed from Venezuela on January 3, carrying approximately 1.9 million barrels of crude and fuel oil. This was the same day Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro was apprehended, as reported by TankerTrackers.com on X.

The organization noted, “Since 2023, the Veronica III has been involved with oil from Russia, Iran, and Venezuela.”

In an X post on Sunday, the Department of War stated, “Last night, U.S. forces successfully conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction, and boarding of the Veronica III in the INDOPACOM [United States Indo-Pacific Command] area of responsibility without any incidents.”

‘The vessel tried to defy President Trump’s quarantine – hoping to slip away. 

‘We tracked it from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, closed the distance, and shut it down. 

‘No other nation has the reach, endurance, or will to do this.

US troops armed with assault rifles prepare to board a helicopter before raiding the oil tanker 

Pictured: The moment US troops approached the Veronica III by helicopter in the Indian Ocean

In photos released by the US Department of War, American soldiers could be seen raiding the Venezuela-linked vessel 

‘International waters are not sanctuary. By land, air, or sea, we will find you and deliver justice.’

The department added that it ‘will deny illicit actors and their proxies freedom of movement in the maritime domain’.

It shared photos of at least 15 US soldiers on the tanker armed with rifles and night vision equipment.

The Veronica III is a Panamanian-flagged vessel currently under US sanctions related to Iran.

According to Open Sanctions, it is ‘engaged in the illegal transportation of hundreds of thousands of metric tons of sanctioned Iranian oil’.

Sunday’s raid in the Indian Ocean is the latest in a series of maritime interventions by the US military aimed at enforcing sanctions and stopping Venezuelan oil exports.

At least eight other oil tankers have been seized in the past year. 

Last week US forces captured the Aquila II, which was also trying to flee quarantine.  

US soldiers onboard the Veronica III, which is currently under sanctions related to Iran

Pictured: Helmet or bodycam footage shows the moment the helicopter approaches the Veronica III

The tanker was the eighth ship captured by the US since the Trump administration started its crusade against illegal oil shipments in the Caribbean, hoping to cut off Venezuela’s main profits. 

The Aquila II was among the several vessels that attempted to escape the area in early January after Maduro was captured by US special forces. 

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said on X: ‘It ran, and we followed. By land, air or sea, our Armed Forces will find you and deliver justice. 

‘You will run out of fuel long before you will outrun us.’  

The US is understood to have sanctioned the Aquila II on January 10, saying it was transporting Russian oil. 

It was already sanctioned by the UK for its connections to Russia.

The Department of War posted footage on X showing US troops raiding the tanker.

‘When the Department of War says quarantine, we mean it,’ the post read.

‘Nothing will stop DOW from defending our Homeland – even in oceans halfway around the world.’