Dec. 21 (UPI) -- The U.S. Coast Guard is chasing down a third foreign oil tanker in the Caribbean, which refused to be boarded amid President Donald Trump's pressure campaign against Venezuela, reports said Sunday.
"The U.S. Coast Guard is in active pursuit of a sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela's illegal sanctions evasion," an unnamed official told NBC News. "It is flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order."
The tanker Bella 1 was placed under U.S. sanctions in June 2024 under counterterrorism authorities, according to the Treasury Department, which said the vessel was part of a shipping network linked to Sa'id al-Jamal, a U.S.-designated Houthi financial facilitator.
Vessels in that network have been used to transport sanctioned oil, including Iranian crude, and the proceeds are directed to militant groups, U.S. officials have said in describing the basis for the sanctions.
Related
