Trump Says US Has Seized Oil Tanker Off Coast of Venezuela

The move is a new development in the administration’s pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro over drug trafficking.

A U.S. military helicopter flies near an oil tanker during a raid described by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi as its seizure by the United States off the coast of Venezuela, on Dec. 10, 2025, in a still image from video. U.S. Attorney General/Handout via Reuters

President Donald Trump said on Dec. 10 that the United States seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela in what appears to be an escalation in the administration’s campaign against the country over drug trafficking.

“We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, a large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized, actually,” Trump said at the White House, adding that “other things are happening” in the area.