The U.S. military has seized another fugitive oil tanker, the Veronica, in the Caribbean, marking the sixth vessel captured under Operation Southern Spear, which targets Venezuela’s illicit oil trading.
The crude oil tanker, reportedly flying a Guyanese flag, was boarded in a pre-dawn operation by the U.S. forces, according to the U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM).
“In another pre-dawn action, Marines and Sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, in support of the Department of Homeland Security, launched from USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and apprehended Motor/Tanker Veronica without incident,” USSOUTHCOM said in a post on X.
Through #OpSouthernSpear, the Department of War is unwavering in its mission to crush illicit activity in the Western Hemisphere in partnership with @USCG through @DHSgov and @TheJusticeDept.
In another pre-dawn action, Marines and Sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear,… pic.twitter.com/brxO9xXUu3
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) January 15, 2026
USSOUTHCOM said the operation was supported by the U.S. Navy’s Amphibious Ready Group including the USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio, and USS Fort Lauderdale.
While the location of the operation was not disclosed, tracking data showed that the 815-foot vessel’s last position was off the coast of Venezuela. Shipping records indicate it departed empty from Venezuelan waters in early January and did not return.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in a statement on X, described the vessel as another sanctioned “ghost fleet” tanker “operating in defiance of President Donald Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean.”
Noem said the incident was “flawlessly executed” in accordance with international law.
The tanker’s seizure occurred less than two weeks after U.S. military forces captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, who are now in U.S. custody facing federal charges related to narcoterrorism. Both have pleaded not guilty.
The seizure of Veronica comes a week after U.S. forces captured the tanker Olina. Officials said Olina was intercepted in international waters while attempting to evade U.S. forces after leaving Venezuela.
The seizure of Venezuelan tankers comes after President Donald Trump declared a “total and complete blockade” on sanctioned vessels entering or leaving Venezuela, following his accusation that the regime uses oil revenues to fund drug trafficking and other criminal activities.
