United States Seeks Forfeiture of Oil Tanker and 1.8 Million Barrels of Crude Oil Tied to Sanctions Evasion Network

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Federal authorities have filed a civil forfeiture complaint in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia seeking permanent forfeiture of the Motor Tanker Skipper and approximately 1.8 million barrels of crude oil seized on the high seas in December 2025.

According to the complaint, the vessel and its cargo are subject to forfeiture as property used to generate revenue and provide material support benefiting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including its Qods Force (IRGC-QF), which is designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under U.S. law.

Seizure on the High Seas

On Dec. 10, 2025, U.S. law enforcement executed a judicially authorized seizure warrant against the Skipper while it was operating in international waters. At the time of the boarding, authorities determined the tanker was falsely claiming a Guyanese flag, rendering it stateless under maritime law. Stateless vessels are subject to boarding and enforcement jurisdiction by U.S. authorities when probable cause exists for violations of federal law.

Following the seizure, the vessel and its cargo were transported to waters off the Texas coast.

Alleged Sanctions Evasion Operations

The civil complaint alleges that from at least 2021 through late 2025, the Skipper functioned as part of a shadow maritime network facilitating the shipment and sale of petroleum products originating from Iran and Venezuela. Revenue from these shipments allegedly supported IRGC-linked operations, including those attributed to the IRGC-QF.

Court filings detail tactics commonly associated with sanctions evasion, including:

• Automatic Identification System (AIS) spoofing to conceal vessel location
• False flag registrations
• Ship-to-ship transfers conducted to obscure cargo origin
• Use of shell intermediaries to disguise beneficial ownership

In 2024, the vessel allegedly transported approximately three million barrels of Iranian crude oil to Syria. Treasury sanctions were imposed against the tanker on Nov. 3, 2022, when it operated under the name Adisa.

Venezuelan-Origin Cargo

The 1.8 million barrels of crude oil at issue were loaded in November 2025 at Venezuela’s José Terminal. Bills of lading reportedly indicated that approximately 1.1 million barrels were designated for delivery to Cubametales, Cuba’s state-run oil import and export company, which has been designated under U.S. sanctions programs.

Federal authorities allege that proceeds from oil shipments routed through this maritime network supported sanctioned entities and sustained revenue channels for designated terrorist organizations.

Legal Basis for Forfeiture

The forfeiture action proceeds under civil forfeiture statutes allowing the United States to seize property involved in sanctions violations, terrorism financing, and transactions benefiting designated entities. In civil forfeiture proceedings, the government bears the burden of establishing that the property is subject to forfeiture under applicable law.

If successful, the forfeiture would permanently divest ownership interests in both the vessel and the cargo.

Interagency Enforcement

The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Minneapolis Field Office and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., with assistance from HSI New York. The case is being litigated by trial attorneys from the Justice Department’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Columbia.

A civil forfeiture complaint constitutes an allegation. Final disposition of the vessel and cargo will be determined through court proceedings.

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