Venezuelan security forces have arrested at least five U.S. citizens, CNN reported, citing a U.S. official familiar with the matter.
The circumstances of their arrest differ, according to CNN. Some of the arrested nationals are double nationals, and it is expected that at least some of them are connected with allegations of drug trafficking, although the Venezuelan government is yet to state the charges, as confirmed by officials in the United States. Details of what the Americans were doing in the country are still under investigation, as indicated by CNN.
Trump administration officials think the Maduro regime is holding American citizens to gain leverage as it increases its pressure campaign, according to CNN.
Such efforts have involved interdictions and seizures of ships carrying crude oil, additional sanctions, as well as expansion of operations targeting routes involved in drug traffic. A recent drone attack that targeted a Venezuelan pier thought to be involved in the loading of drug-carrying vessels involved the CIA, as reported by The Associated Press.
The United States has also imposed other sanctions on individuals associated with President Nicolás Maduro’s circle, as well as on vessels involved in Venezuela’s oil trade, as Reuters reported in December.
Within Venezuela, the government has recently freed dozens of arrested protesters following the country’s disputed election in 2024, as reported by Reuters. Rights advocates place the number of estimated political inmates at around 900, as stated by Foro Penal chief Alfredo Romero, where he mentioned that there were no American citizens within those released.
Maduro has stated that “Venezuela is secure,” and he has called again for dialogue with the United States, according to Friday’s report from Reuters.
