THIS is the stunning moment US troops rappel from helicopters and storm an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela with high-powered rifles.

Commandos bundled from a chopper and scattered around the ship as they executed Trump’s boldest play yet in his stand-off with Maduro.

Footage released on X by Attorney General Pam Bondi shows a military helicopter hovering over the boat with another buzzing nearby.

Ropes are tossed out and geared-up troops immediately shimmy down onto the deck.

They disperse in formation – guns aloft – darting up staircases and sweeping through cabins.

Forces from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the US Coast Guard came together for the well-oiled sting.

The seizure marks a major escalation in tensions between the nations – and is the strongest hint yet that America’s sights are set further than drug smugglers.

Announcing the operation, Trump said: “We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, a large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized, actually.”

He also ominously warned “other things are happening”, which will be seen “later”, without specifying what he meant exactly.

When pressed on why he greenlit the operation, Trump said only: “It was seized for a very good reason.”

He added that pictures of the impounded vessel and more details would come later.

Two sources confirmed to Reuters that the US Coast Guard led the operation to seize the oil tanker.

Venezuela dictator Nicolas Maduro shows off his dancing talent at public rally

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It’s not clear which vessel was targeted, or where exactly it was intercepted.

The seizure could stem Venezuela’s vital oil exports, because other shippers will likely to wary of loading cargo from there for fear of interception.

It also marks a bold expansion of America’s campaign in the Caribbean.

To this point, operations had been limited to remote strikes on small boats that America identified as “narco-terrorists”.

This appears to be the first clash directly involving American personnel, and the first target not directly related to the drugs trade.

It’s possible that this turns out the be the first move in a naval blockade of Venezuela – but Trump is for now keeping his cards close to his chest.

Most oil from Venezuela ends up in China after passing through middlemen nations and being sold at a cut price.

Just today, oil buyers in Asia demanded deeper discounts on Venezuelan crude oil due to a flood of sanctioned oil from Russia and Iran on offer.

They also cited a the risk of loading in the South American country in the face of the US military presence – a concern that has today been realised.

The US has been tightening the noose around Maduro with a series of bold strikes against Venezuelan drug smuggling boats and the build up of a vast military force in the Caribbean.

As of December 4, at least 87 people had been killed in 22 strikes on 23 vessels.

Trump has maintained that his only goal is to wipe out the drugs trade flooding narcotics into the US – though many suspect he wants to topple Maduro.

The Venezuelan tyrant has been sent hopping mad with fear – alternating between defiant avowals to defend and appeals for peace through dancing or singing.

He is reportedly living like a hunted man – sleeping in a different bed every night and swapping phones constantly to evade would-be assassins.

Today, the Nobel Peace Committee urged him to step down at the ceremony for his opponent forced into hiding, Maria Corina Machado, who won the 2025 Peace Prize.

Maduro blindly insists everything is under control – but the reality suggests otherwise.

Just this week, Trump warned him that his “days are numbered”.