Noem says the seizure of the oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast is linked to U.S. anti-drug efforts

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday linked the seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela to the Trump administration’s anti-drug efforts in Latin America as tensions rise with the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

Noem’s assertion, which came during her testimony before the House Homeland Security Committee, represents the Republican administration’s most comprehensive assessment yet of why it took control of the ship on Wednesday. It is incredibly unusual that the use of US forces to seize a commercial ship marked a sharp escalation in the administration’s pressure campaign against Maduro, who is accused of drug-related terrorism in the United States.

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Trump officials added to the order on Thursday by imposing sanctions on three of Maduro’s nephews. The Venezuelan president discussed rising tensions with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday. The Kremlin said in a statement that Putin reiterated his support for Maduro’s policy of “protecting national interests and sovereignty in the face of increasing external pressure.”

When Noem was asked to define the US Coast Guard’s role in the tanker’s seizure, he described it as “a successful operation directed by the President to ensure that we resist a system that systematically overwhelms our country with deadly drugs and is killing our next generation of Americans.”

Noem went on to explain the “lethal doses of cocaine” that she said were banned from entering the United States as a result.

Asked Thursday whether US operations in the region were related to drugs or oil, White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt gave a mixed answer, saying the administration was “focused on doing a lot of things in the Western Hemisphere.” She indicated that such seizures could continue, considering that the goods being transported are used to finance the illegal drug trade.

“We will not stand idly by and watch sanctioned ships sail the seas laden with black market oil, the proceeds of which will fuel the drug terrorism practiced by rogue and illegitimate regimes around the world,” she said.

The Justice Department obtained an arrest warrant for the ship because it was known to “transport sanctioned oil from the black market,” Levitt said, adding that “the United States intends to obtain the oil” that was on board the tanker.

Trump told reporters the day before at the White House that the tanker “was seized for a very good reason.” In response to a question about what will happen to the oil on board the tanker, Trump said: “Well, I think we keep it.”

The United States has bolstered its largest military presence in the region in decades and launched a series of deadly strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific, a campaign facing increasing scrutiny from Congress.

Trump, who said ground attacks were coming soon but did not provide further details, has broadly justified the moves as necessary to stop the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs into the United States.

The Venezuelan government said in a statement that the seizure of the tanker “constitutes blatant theft and an act of international piracy.” Maduro insists that the real goal of US military operations is to force him from office.