A U.S. Navy sailor has been detained in Venezuela, becoming the second U.S. service member in five months to be taken into custody during unauthorized travel to a hostile country.
The sailor, who has not been publicly identified, was reportedly in Venezuela without informing his chain of command or receiving proper authorization. According to defense officials, the sailor was apprehended by Venezuelan authorities around August 30, 2024, while on personal travel to the country.
The Pentagon has confirmed it is investigating the situation and working closely with the U.S. State Department. A defense official told Task & Purpose that the sailor’s trip to Venezuela was not sanctioned by his superiors, and the State Department has long warned U.S. citizens, including military personnel, against traveling to the country due to the high risk of wrongful detention.
The U.S. government is in contact with Venezuelan officials to gather more information, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby told reporters.
Venezuela has been a diplomatic hotspot for the U.S., especially since March 2019, when the State Department withdrew all personnel from the U.S. embassy in Caracas. A travel advisory issued by the State Department warns that American citizens in Venezuela face a high risk of being detained, often without the U.S. government being notified.
The sailor’s detention follows another incident earlier this year in which U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Gordon Black was arrested and sentenced in Russia after unauthorized travel to meet a girlfriend.
Black’s case mirrors a growing pattern of U.S. service members getting entangled in international legal trouble after venturing into countries where travel is restricted.
News of the sailor’s situation comes amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela, further exacerbated by the U.S. government’s recent seizure of a plane belonging to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro for alleged sanctions violations.
The U.S. government has secured the release of American detainees from Venezuela in the past, including a prisoner exchange in December 2022, but the risk for U.S. citizens in the country remains high.
