Venezuelan security forces have detained several Americans since Trump began military campaign: report
Venezuelan security forces have arrested several Americans in recent months since Donald Trump ordered the U.S. military to begin attacking suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean and blocking suspected sanctioned oil tankers leaving the country.
The New York Times cited a U.S. official who told the outlet that the State Department was considering designating two Americans, including a Staten Island traveler identified as James Luckey-Lange, as unjustly detained.
The identities of the other Americans held in Venezuelan captivity have not yet been made public. Some of the detained Americans face legitimate criminal charges, according to the The times source.
The escalation of political and military pressure from the United States on the government of Nicolas Maduro has continued for months, with the Trump administration accusing the Maduro government of being controlled by a drug trafficking operation led by Maduro himself, the “Cartel de los Soles.”
Maduro has previously used captured U.S. citizens to leverage in negotiations with Washington, whether they are guilty or innocent. Conversely, Trump made the release of Americans detained abroad, in any territory, a priority during his two presidencies.
The president sent U.S. envoy Richard Grenell to Venezuela to negotiate a prisoner deal within days of returning to power, according to Time.
The reports of the newly detained Americans came as the State Department announced sanctions Wednesday against four entities that it said were “illegally operating in Venezuela’s oil sector.”
“The Trump administration is also blocking four associated oil tankers, which are part of a shadow fleet that funds the illegitimate and corrupt regime of Nicolas Maduro and allows Maduro and his cronies to evade sanctions,” the statement said.
“Today’s sanctions continue President Trump’s pressure campaign on Maduro and his cronies. The Trump Administration is committed to disrupting the network that supports Maduro and his illegitimate regime.”
Meanwhile, more than 100 people have been killed in US military strikes targeting small ships operating in the Caribbean since the campaign began this year. The Trump administration, which has not provided public evidence, claims the boats are used for drug trafficking.
The White House has not asked Congress for authorization to use military force in the region, but efforts to pass war powers resolutions to limit the administration’s strikes have not been successful.
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