U.S. forces boarded the Venezuelan shadow fleet tanker Olina without a warrant east of Trinidad at coordinates 12.16769, -62.6113 on January 9, 2026, according to a New York Times report by Eric Schmitt and Nick Nehamas cited on X by TRBRTC during the 3:46 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. UTC window. The vessel, flying a false Timor Leste flag and loaded with embargoed Venezuelan oil, is one of five seized tankers where only the Marinera—previously Bella 1 and linked to Iran sanctions—had a warrant. The Olina departed Venezuela four days prior as part of a group of 16 blockade runners attempting to evade U.S. forces, per an X post by tom_bike quoting Reuters, Kpler, TankerTrackers, and oballinger. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the seizure earlier on January 9 via X, following U.S. Coast Guard coordination with other departments. Venezuelan analyst Emmanuel Rincón stated on X via UHN_Plus that the regime released only eight political prisoners—less than 1% of over 1,000 detainees—nearly 24 hours after announcing mass releases, accusing Chavismo of deceiving President Donald Trump and Senator Marco Rubio to delay international action.
