Venezuelan security forces have detained several Americans in the past several months since Donald Trump ordered the U.S. military to begin attacking suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean and blocking suspected sanctioned oil tankers departing the country.
The New York Times cited a U.S. official who told the news outlet that the State Department was considering designating two Americans, including one traveler from Staten Island identified as James Luckey-Lange, as wrongfully detained.
The identities of the other Americans held in Venezuelan captivity have not yet been made public. Some of the detained Americans are known to be facing legitimate criminal charges, according to the Times’s source.
The U.S. escalation of political and military pressure on the government of Nicolas Maduro has continued for months as the Trump administration accuses the Maduro government of being controlled by a drug smuggling operation led by Maduro himself, “Cartel de los Soles”.
Maduro has previously used captured U.S. citizens to pile pressure negotiations with Washington, whether they are guilty or innocent. Conversely, Trump has made the release of Americans held overseas in any territory a priority in his two presidencies.
The president sent U.S. envoy Richard Grenell to Venezuela to negotiate a prisoner deal in the days after returning to office, according to The Times.
Reports of the newly detained Americans came as the State Department announced sanctions on four entities it said were “illegally operating in Venezuela’s oil sector” on Wednesday.
“The Trump Administration is also blocking four associated oil tankers, part of a shadow fleet that funds Nicolás Maduro’s illegitimate, corrupt regime and allows Maduro and his cronies to evade sanctions,” the statement read.
“Today’s sanctions continue President Trump’s pressure campaign on Maduro and his cronies. The Trump Administration is committed to disrupting the network that props up Maduro and his illegitimate regime.”
The Independent has contacted the State Department for comment on the reported detainees in Venezuela.
Meanwhile, more than 100 people have been killed in U.S. military strikes targeting small vessels operating in the Caribbean since the campaign began this year. The boats are alleged by the Trump administration, which has not provided evidence publicly, of being used for drug smuggling.
The White House has not gone to Congress for authorization to use military force in the region, but efforts to bring War Powers resolutions to curtail the administration’s strikes have not succeeded.
This is a breaking news report. More to follow…
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