The U.S Coast Guard on Thursday morning seized a 6th sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea, reports Carla Babb, Newsmax national security correspondent.
The seizure, which comes ahead of a meeting between President Donald Trump and Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, was executed in conjunction with U.S. Marine Corps personnel.
The ship, identifed by the U.S. Southern Command as the Veronica, ately released but it is said to have a capacity of up to 2 million barrels of Venezuelan oil, was operating under the flag of Guyana.
It is part of an Informal "ghost fleet" of tankers that operated under the radar before the U.S. captured Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro.
The seizure comes less than a week after Friday's pre-dawn capture of the tanker Olina in the Caribbean.
The Southern Command's full post:
Through #OpSouthernSpear, the Department of War is unwavering in its mission to crush illicit activity in the Western Hemisphere in partnership with @USCG through @DHSgov and @TheJusticeDept.
In another pre-dawn action, Marines and Sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, in support of the Department of Homeland Security, launched from USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and apprehended Motor/Tanker Veronica without incident. The Veronica is the latest tanker operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean, proving the effectiveness of Operation Southern Spear yet again.
These operations are backed by the full power of the U.S. Navy’s Amphibious Ready Group, including the ready and lethal platforms of USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7), USS San Antonio (LPD 17), and USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28). The only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully. The @DeptofWar, in coordination with interagency partners, will defend our homeland by ending illicit activity and restoring security in the Western Hemisphere.@USNavy @USMC
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