U.S. forces seize 5th oil tanker linked to Venezuela

A fifth oil tanker linked to Venezuela was interdicted by U.S. forces in the Caribbean, U.S. Southern Command confirmed on Friday.

Two U.S. officials confirmed to CBS News that the Coast Guard, supported by the Navy, was in the process of seizing the Olina oil tanker.

Southern Command said Marines and sailors launched from the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier for the pre-dawn operation to support the Department of Homeland Security as part of “its mission to defend our homeland by ending illicit activity and restoring security in the Western Hemisphere.”

“Once again, our joint interagency forces sent a clear message this morning: ‘there is no safe haven for criminals,'” U.S. Southern Command said in a statement on X.

This is the third oil tanker linked to Venezuela seized by U.S. forces this week. Two tankers were interdicted on Wednesday— one in the North Atlantic and one in the Caribbean Sea, officials said.

The U.S. European Command confirmed the seizure of the Marinera, a Venezuela-linked oil tanker formerly known as Bella-1, in the North Atlantic after pursuing it from the coast of South America. U.S. Southern Command announced that the other intercepted vessel, M/T Sophia, was “conducting illicit activities” in international waters in the Caribbean. 

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