US Justice Department Files Complaint to Seize Venezuelan Oil Tanker and Cargo
The United States Justice Department has initiated legal proceedings to formally take ownership of a sanctioned oil tanker and its cargo of nearly 2 million barrels of petroleum, which were seized off the coast of Venezuela in December. This action represents a significant escalation in President Donald Trump's administration's efforts to assert control over Venezuela's oil sector, following the capture of leader Nicolás Maduro.
First Legal Step in Series of Tanker Interceptions
This complaint marks the first formal legal move by the U.S. to gain control of one of at least ten oil tankers intercepted by American authorities since late last year. The U.S. has accused Venezuela of employing a shadow fleet of vessels with false flags to smuggle illicit crude oil into global supply chains, undermining international sanctions and regulations.
Attorney General Pam Bondi emphasized the administration's stance in an emailed statement, declaring, "Under President Trump’s leadership, the era of secretly bankrolling regimes that pose clear threats to the United States is over. This Department of Justice will deploy every legal authority at our disposal to completely dismantle and permanently shutter any operation that defies our laws and fuels chaos across the globe."
Escalation in Pressure Campaign Against Maduro
The seizure of the vessel, named the Skipper, in December was the initial step in a series of similar actions by the Republican administration, dramatically intensifying Trump's campaign to pressure Maduro by cutting off access to oil revenue. This revenue has long been the lifeblood of Venezuela's economy, and its disruption aims to weaken Maduro's regime.
Following Maduro's arrest in a U.S. raid last month and his subsequent transfer to New York to face drug trafficking charges—to which he has pleaded not guilty—several vessels fled Venezuela's coast despite Trump's quarantine on sanctioned oil tankers. U.S. forces have tracked and interdicted some of these vessels as far away as the Indian Ocean, showcasing the global reach of this enforcement effort.
Broader Strategy to Control Venezuela's Oil Industry
The Trump administration has outlined a comprehensive strategy to control the production, refining, and global distribution of Venezuela's oil, while overseeing where the revenue flows. In a bid to revitalize the ailing oil industry, the U.S. has begun lifting broad sanctions to allow foreign companies to operate in Venezuela, potentially reshaping the country's economic landscape.
A judge in Washington's federal court must now approve the U.S. government's bid to permanently take ownership of the Skipper and its cargo, which could lead to the oil being sold. The Justice Department alleges that the tanker transported oil from Iran and Venezuela worldwide, using false flags to conceal illegal activities and generating revenue for Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, designated by the U.S. as a foreign terrorist organization.
Disrupting Illicit Financial Flows
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva, who leads the Justice Department's Criminal Division, highlighted the significance of this action in a statement: "Because of the coordinated efforts of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners, a ghost tanker that for years secretly moved illicit oil from Iran and Venezuela around the globe has been taken off the seas. Today’s actions are an important step in making America and the world safer by disrupting the flow of millions of dollars to foreign terrorist organizations."
This legal maneuver underscores the U.S.'s commitment to using judicial and enforcement tools to combat illicit oil trafficking and support its geopolitical objectives in Venezuela and beyond.
