(NewsNation) — DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has confirmed that the U.S. Coast Guard seized a sanctioned vessel off the coast of Venezuela on Saturday.
“The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco terrorism in the region,” Noem wrote in a post on X. “We will find you, and we will stop you.”
Noem said the seizure took place early Saturday.
This marks the second time the U.S. has seized a tanker near Venezuela in recent weeks, and comes amid a large U.S. military build-up in the region.
On Dec. 10, the Coast Guard, with the support of the U.S. Navy, boarded and seized The Skipper, an oil tanker sanctioned for being part of an illicit oil operation involving Venezuela, according to ABC News.
The name of the ship or where exactly the operation is taking place has not yet been announced.