US, Venezuela Conduct Joint Operation
"Authorities in the United States and Venezuela announce the successful joint operation for the return to the country of the vessel Minerva, which had sailed without payment or authorization from the Venezuelan authorities," the statement read.
"Thanks to this first successful joint operation, the vessel is currently sailing back to Venezuelan waters for safekeeping and appropriate action," it added.
Earlier Friday, US officials confirmed the seizure of a fifth tanker as part of efforts to regulate Venezuelan oil. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the Coast Guard boarded and confiscated the Motor Tanker Olina, formerly known as Minerva M, in international waters east of the Caribbean Sea.
The Trump administration has escalated military activity in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific since September, citing anti-narcotics operations.
These latest tanker seizures followed a Jan. 3 US military operation in Venezuela, during which President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were captured. Trump declared that his administration would "run" Venezuela and its oil resources during a transitional period.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated that the Defense Department’s blockade in the Caribbean Sea remains "in full effect — and very effective."
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