Around ten tankers loaded with Venezuelan oil secretly departed the country’s territorial waters, hiding their identification markings and flags. This happened amid a large-scale U.S. operation in which Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were reportedly detained and taken out of the country. This was reported by podrobno.uz. reports .
According to TankerTrackers.com, all vessels that left the ports are on U.S. sanctions lists. Satellite imagery recorded that at least four tankers headed north through the maritime boundary near Margarita Island.
It is noted that crude exports are crucial for the interim government led by Delcy Rodríguez. The oil blockade introduced in December 2025 reportedly nearly halted shipments, causing excess fuel to accumulate in tankers and disrupting the operations of the state company PDVSA.
Despite the change of power and military intervention, the U.S. has kept the embargo in place. However, Donald Trump said during the transition period that major buyers, including China, would continue purchasing oil.
It remains unclear whether the current tanker departures are a coordinated move or a direct attempt to bypass sanctions.
As a reminder, on the night of January 3 the U.S. struck a number of sites in Caracas, including aviation and military bases. Trump confirmed that a “large-scale operation” had been carried out and said Maduro and his wife were detained and taken out of the country.
The European Union said it is closely monitoring the situation and is maintaining its previous position on Maduro’s legitimacy. According to media reports, Maduro and his wife were transported under heightened security to a federal court in New York.
In the coming hours, they are expected to face charges of narco-terrorism, cocaine smuggling, weapons possession, and attempting to obtain machine guns and explosive devices as part of a conspiracy against the United States. Media outlets write that they could face penalties ranging from life imprisonment to the death sentence.
Read “Zamin” on Telegram!
