Venezuela on Saturday accused the United States of illegally detaining a Venezuelan fishing vessel for eight hours after a U.S. Navy destroyer reportedly sent personnel aboard the small boat in waters the South American country says lie in its exclusive economic zone.
Foreign Minister Yván Gil said the boat, crewed by nine tuna fishermen, was boarded by 18 armed personnel and occupied for eight hours while sailing about 48 nautical miles northeast of La Blanquilla Island. Gil released video footage and called the action a "direct provocation through the illegal use of excessive military force." He said the fishermen had authorization from the Venezuelan Ministry of Fisheries to carry out their work and were later released under escort by the Venezuelan navy.
The Venezuelan government said the incident occurred inside its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which under international law extends up to 200 nautical miles from a country's coastline and grants the coastal state rights to exploit marine resources. While other states generally retain the freedom of navigation in an EEZ, Venezuela's foreign ministry argued that the boarding disrupted lawful civilian activity and violated its sovereignty.
Gil accused those behind the boarding of seeking "an incident to justify escalating war in the Caribbean, with the aim of regime change in Caracas," and demanded that the United States "immediately cease these actions that endanger security and peace in the Caribbean." The ministry also issued a public appeal to the American people, asking U.S. citizens to "recognize the seriousness of these maneuvers and reject the use of their soldiers as sacrificial pieces to sustain the desires of a greedy and predatory elite."
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Venezuelan statements identified the U.S. vessel only as a destroyer and said U.S. personnel conducted the boarding; U.S. defense officials did not immediately confirm the account.
The incident adds to mounting tensions between Caracas and Washington after U.S. officials in August announced a deployment of more than 4,000 Marines and sailors to waters around Latin America and the Caribbean as part of a stepped-up effort to intercept drug shipments. The Biden administration and the Trump campaign have cited concerns about narcotics trafficking from Venezuela, and U.S. officials have announced rewards and seizures tied to alleged networks linked to Venezuelan authorities.
Earlier this month, U.S. officials said they struck an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in the Caribbean, killing 11 people. President Donald Trump announced the operation from the Oval Office and later identified those killed as members of the Tren de Aragua gang in posts on Truth Social. Venezuelan officials have denied the U.S. account, calling the attack an "extrajudicial killing," and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said Venezuelan investigations indicated the victims were not drug traffickers.
U.S. authorities, including officials who have linked shipments to Venezuelan networks, have reported large seizures of cocaine that they say are connected to traffickers operating from the country. Attorney Pam Bondi has announced a multimillion-dollar reward for information leading to the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, whom the U.S. has accused of ties to cocaine trafficking. The U.S. has not publicly produced evidence tying Maduro personally to specific shipments in the incidents referenced by Caracas.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday said the country was at "maximum preparedness" and characterized the increased U.S. maritime presence as an "extravagant, unjustifiable, immoral and absolutely criminal and bloody threat." Caracas has continued to mobilize security forces and call for civilian militia enlistment across multiple border and coastal "battlefronts," saying it will defend its sovereignty against any provocation.
There has been no indication from U.S. officials of plans for a ground incursion into Venezuela. The dispute over the boarding highlights competing interpretations of maritime rights and the risks of escalation as U.S. anti-drug efforts expand in the southern Caribbean.