President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the United States has implemented a full blockade on sanctioned oil tankers departing Venezuela, raising the stakes after months of strain with the government of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
“Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America. It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before — Until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
The president added: “The illegitimate Maduro Regime is using Oil from these stolen Oil Fields to finance themselves, Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder, and Kidnapping. For the theft of our Assets, and many other reasons, including Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking, the Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.”
Trump then announced that, effective Wednesday, he would be ordering a “total and complete blockade” of all oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.
“The Illegal Aliens and Criminals that the Maduro Regime has sent into the United States during the weak and inept Biden Administration, are being returned to Venezuela at a rapid pace,” his Truth post continued. “America will not allow Criminals, Terrorists, or other Countries, to rob, threaten, or harm our Nation and, likewise, will not allow a Hostile Regime to take our Oil, Land, or any other Assets, all of which must be returned to the United States, IMMEDIATELY.”
U.S. military involvement in the region dates to early September 2025, when Operation Southern Spear began under U.S. Southern Command. Since then, more than 20 strikes have targeted vessels suspected of narcotics smuggling from Venezuelan ports, resulting in dozens of reported deaths.
The operations have been accompanied by a significant U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean, the largest since the 1980s. Deployed assets include the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group, seven warships, a nuclear submarine, F-35 fighter jets, B-52 bombers, and approximately 10,000 personnel based in Puerto Rico, Florida, and partner locations.
According to Defense Department statements, the buildup, which accelerated in August, is intended to disrupt fentanyl and cocaine trafficking routes into the United States.
The U.S. posture is anchored in federal indictments filed in 2020 against Maduro and 14 associates on narco-terrorism charges. U.S. authorities allege that Maduro leads the so-called “Cartel de los Soles,” an organization involving military officers and government officials that is accused of working with Colombia’s leftist guerrilla group FARC to traffic multi-ton shipments of cocaine into the United States, reports on Wednesday said.
Prosecutors also allege the organization and its affiliates are involved in human smuggling, money laundering, and arms trafficking. The State Department is offering a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s capture, up from $15 million, saying the network has facilitated drug trafficking for roughly two decades.
Earlier this summer, the Treasury Department designated the Cartel de los Soles as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organization, a move the State Department followed on Nov. 24 by classifying the group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The designation also applies to affiliated groups, including Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan transnational criminal organization.
The designations trigger a range of penalties, including U.S. asset freezes, prohibitions on providing material support, secondary sanctions against facilitators, and immigration restrictions under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Despite the escalating tensions, President Trump has indicated he remains open to a diplomatic resolution with Venezuela’s government.
During a Nov. 21 phone call with Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, Trump offered safe haven for Maduro and his family if he agreed to step down immediately. According to a report by the Miami Herald, Maduro requested global amnesty and relief from U.S. sanctions, terms that were rejected.
