The U.S. military has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, according to comments made by President Donald Trump.
The president has warned government leaders of Venezuela that he would take action against narco-terrorists smuggling harmful drugs from the country into the U.S. Those actions have manifested in military strikes against alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean.
‘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.’
“As you probably know, we’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela,” Trump said. “Large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized actually.”
Sources told ABC News that the tanker is referred to as a VLCC, or very large crude carrier, and can carry as many as 2 million barrels of oil.
The president offered few details about the incident but said more information would be released soon.
“It was seized for a very good reason,” he added.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi offered more details in a statement on social media.
“Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran,” she wrote.
“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,” she added. “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.”
She included video from the operation in the post.
Also on Tuesday, the president said in an interview with Politico that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s days were numbered.
RELATED: US strike against military targets in Venezuela could begin at any moment: Report
Democrats have accused the administration of committing war crimes in the strikes on alleged drug-runners. In one incident, two survivors of a strike on a boat were killed by a second strike, which many have said was illegal.
The Trump administration has put up a $50 million reward for the arrest of Maduro.
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