Washington, D.C. — The Justice Department has filed a legal complaint to take permanent ownership of a sanctioned oil tanker known as the Skipper and nearly 2 million barrels of petroleum seized off Venezuela’s coast in December, marking a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s effort to control the country’s oil revenue.
Federal prosecutors allege the vessel was part of a “shadow fleet” used to smuggle crude oil from Venezuela and Iran while flying false flags to evade sanctions. The complaint begins the formal forfeiture process, which must be approved by a federal judge in Washington.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the move reflects the administration’s strategy to cut off funding streams to regimes it considers hostile. The Justice Department claims the tanker’s activities helped funnel money to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, which the U.S. designates as a foreign terrorist organization.
The seizure followed the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, who has pleaded not guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges. The administration has since moved to oversee Venezuela’s oil production and distribution while lifting certain sanctions to allow foreign companies to operate there.
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