The United States seized overnight two oil tankers linked to Venezuela in back-to-back operations in the North Atlantic and the Caribbean, U.S. officials said Wednesday, escalating enforcement of sanctions against what Washington calls a “ghost fleet” moving illicit oil.

U.S. European Command said it seized the merchant vessel Bella 1—later renamed Marinera—for violations of U.S. sanctions after months of monitoring. The tanker, sanctioned in 2024 for allegedly smuggling cargo for a company tied to Lebanon’s Hezbollah, had attempted to evade a U.S.-led blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan oil shipments and was sailing towards Russia under the Russian flag.

Separately, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said U.S. forces took control of the Panama-flagged tanker Sophia in the Caribbean, noting both vessels had either recently docked in Venezuela or were en route there. Noem said the ships are part of a broader network transporting oil from Venezuela, Iran, and Russia to customers in Asia despite Western sanctions.

The seizures follow a surprise U.S. military raid in Caracas that resulted Saturday in the capture of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. Trump administration officials have vowed continued enforcement actions.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. will keep seizing sanctioned vessels under federal court warrants.

Russian officials protested the seizure of the Bella 1, arguing it violated international maritime law.

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