The U.S. Coast Guard seized a crude oil tanker on Wednesday off the coast of Venezuela – the latest step in boosted American efforts to disrupt illegal shipments of oil from the country, as well as other smuggling operations tied to international terrorism.

Attorney General Pamela Bondi announced the raid by the Coast Guard in an X post, describing the ship as part of a long-running network moving crude oil from Venezuela and Iran – in clear violation of American sanctions.

Video clips of the raid posted alongside Bondi’s update looked like a modern-day action movie, showing coast guard members dropping down from helicopters above the oil tanker and quickly taking over the ship.

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Bondi said that the teams executed a seizure warrant for that specific oil tanker that has been under U.S. sanctions “for multiple years” for its alleged role in an oil-shipping network tied to foreign terrorist organizations.

“Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of [Defense], executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran,” Bondi posted. “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. 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.”

Bondi added that the seizure of the ship went smoothly, thanks to the Coast Guard’s efforts, without any problems or incidents as of press time.

The action to seize the ship comes as the Trump administration continues to pressure Nicolás Maduro’s government, which Washington accuses of relying on state-controlled energy resources to support criminal and extremist groups.

Earlier this week, Venezuela held a large military parade, showcasing thousands of recently trained troops in what it described as preparations for resisting foreign aggression, as previously reported by DX. The parade coincided with the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford to the region, and other recent American strikes in Venezuela targeting suspected narcotics-trafficking ships.

Bondi’s announcement now shifts some of the world’s attention from counter-narcotics missions to big-oil smuggling schemes.

The seized tanker was reportedly flagged under a Panamanian registry, a tactic common among so-called “dark fleet” vessels that obscure owners and routes to evade tracking. However, video clips show the tanker flying a Guyanese flag.

According to GCaptain.com, the Panama Ship Registry has stopped registering all oil tankers and bulk carriers older than 15 years. This policy allegedly aims to block ships linked to any “shadow” or “ghost” fleets.

The Panama Maritime Authority says that these shadow fleets typically involve older tankers featuring unclear ownership, inadequate insurance, and risky operations designed to evade global sanctions – mainly on Russian and Iranian oil trade.

The Dallas Express exclusively reported this month on a letter from Hugo Carvajal Barrios to President Donald Trump.

Carvajal – the former head of Venezuelan military intelligence – is currently serving a federal sentence in the United States.

In that letter, Carvajal claimed the Maduro government had used oil networks and intelligence channels to act against U.S. interests and to cooperate with Iranian and Lebanese groups. The claims have now intensified calls in Washington for tighter sanctions and stronger counterintelligence efforts against any future threats.