It’s always a pleasure to wake up to find another communist dictatorship dumped into the dustbin of history.
President Trump announced early Saturday morning that U.S. forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife during a “large scale strike against Venezuela,” a dramatic conclusion to Trump’s months-long pressure campaign to oust the socialist dictator.
Shortly after Trump’s announcement, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that Maduro and his wife had been indicted in the Southern District of New York on drug trafficking and firearm charges.
“They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts,” Bondi said of Maduro and his wife.
Venezuelan officials did not immediately release casualty numbers but said that the operation did result in Venezuelan deaths.
Trump administration officials have long argued that Maduro, who seized power in 2013, is an illegitimate ruler and is responsible for trafficking vast quantities of cocaine into the U.S. He was indicted in 2020 in the U.S. on charges that he was the active leader of a drug cartel known as Cartel de los Soles.
Despite the surge in socialism among the Democratic Party’s ideological core, it’s long been a bipartisan foreign policy position that Maduro’s regime is illegitimate. The Biden regime considered Maduro’s regime illegitimate, with then Secretary of State Antony Blinken recognizing opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as the legitimate winner of the 2024 Presidential election, just as the Trump45 Administration and the Organization of American States had previously recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as the legitimate President of Venezuela in 2019.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s only public comment on the operation consists of a reposted social message, originally published in July of last year, stating that “Maduro is NOT the President of Venezuela and his regime is NOT the legitimate government.”
The Pentagon has been amassing warships, troops, and air assets in the Caribbean since August and has attacked many small vessels which Pentagon officials insist were carrying drugs, killing at least 115 people. The U.S. has also seized two Venezuelan oil tankers in recent weeks, disrupting the Maduro regime’s main source of revenue.
Though reports seem light on military details, Suchomimus has video footage of airstrikes hitting military targets in Caracas, noting the presence of Chinook helicopters over the city:
He suggests that the airstrikes were mainly to take out anti-aircraft emplacements to clear the way for the Chinooks.
Maduro has been on borrowed time since at least the 2019 uprising against him over food shortages.
Lifting the dead corpse of socialism off the backs of the Venezuelan people is a huge accomplishment, as is removing another ally from the Russia-China Axis of Assholes. It also shows that the Monroe Doctrine is alive and well.
Now: How long until district court judge James Boasberg declare that Trump must restore Maduro to power?
Also: Cuba and Iran should consider themselves on notice…
(Headline credit to commenter A. Nonymous.)
Tags: Antony Blinken, Caracas, Cartel de los Soles, cocaine, Communism, Delta Force, drugs, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, Jack Crowe, Juan Guaido, Marco Rubio, Military, Monroe Doctrine, National Review, Nicolas Maduro, Organization of American States, Pam Bondi, Suchomimus, Venezuela, video
This wasn’t about oil. Venezuelan oil is heavy and sulphurous. Not many refineries in the world can handle it. The Marathon refinery in Detroit is the only American refinery able to handle it – but then only after some very expensive modifications.
Almost every other refinery in the world cannot even be rebuilt to handle it. Venezuelan oil sells at a massive discount to the light, sweet crudes which are in abundance right now. Why the price of oil is plummeting. Venezuela’s oil industry is in such bad shape that they have been importing light Russian oil since Trump took office. Venezuelan refineries can no longer handle their domestic crudes.
The tankers out of Novorossiysk which the British pirates have been attacking in the Black Sea were all headed to Venezuela. Think the Russians were trading their lighter crudes for untraceable Venezuelan crude. Why this operation started with a naval blockade to prevent Russian oil from being landed in Venezuela.
The most urgent matter on the minds of Trump’s planners was actually the 8 million Venezuelans who have fled the country over the last four years. They are destabilizing every country in Latin America. Two million are in the United States. Trump ended their Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in April and September. Trump’s termination is stayed by Hawaiian judges, but will eventually be affirmed.
Drugs were the number two matter on the minds of Trump planners. Trump’s antidrug campaign has reduced opiates in America to the point that overdose deaths will be cut in half this year. That’s 50,000 fewer American dead. Trump is very antidrug, antiaddiction due to his older brother Fred’s problems.
I hope Trump wastes no time in returning Maduro to Venezuela to face justice at the hands of those whom he and Chavez terrorised for years.
So I guess Bondi does know how to indict a politician. I was beginning to wonder.
Mamdani is next… :-)
“So I guess Bondi does know how to indict a politician. I was beginning to wonder.”
You cannot legally indict a Democrat in Washington, DC or NYC. The Obama judges there impeach any prosecutor with the temerity to indict Democrats and then throw out their indictments.
Consider the fates of Alina Habba and Lindsey Halligan.
“You cannot legally indict a Democrat in Washington, DC or NYC.
??!
New York City is where Democrat Martha Stewart was indicted, tried and convicted after being prosecuted by US Attorney James Comey.
The Organization of American States was not going to take action against Maduro and Donald Trump.was not going to sit on his hands while Maduro continued to stir up trouble.
It was only a matter of how much rope Maduro would be given until he hung himself with it.
“New York City is where Democrat Martha Stewart was indicted, tried and convicted after being prosecuted by US Attorney James Comey.”
Ancient history. 24 years ago. Probably before you were born.
The rules in NYC and Washington changed under Zero.
“It was only a matter of how much rope Maduro would be given until he hung himself with it.”
You don’t seriously think Maduro is going to be convicted, do you?
The Democrats have adopted Maduro as their latest standard bearer. No matter how good a case the SDNY DA presents, there will be at least one DSA turd on the jury who will vote to acquit, assuming the SDNY Obama Judges even let the case get to a jury.
Comrade Cartridge should cease commenting regarding oil refinery issues. I don’t know if he is bog ignorant on issues refinery, or merely lying. Sour heavy crude oil has become a much more important refinery feed stock in US (especially Gulf coast) refineries over the past 40 years or so. I was working in a several Port Arthur, Texas refineries as a chemical engineer back in 1984 when the Valero refinery in Corpus Christie was being built. It was built specifically to process sour heavy Venezuaean crude, at a feed rate of 25,000 BPD, and very expensive refinery interms of $/BPD crude to process. Its thruput today is much larger.
There is a refinery term called “swell”. What it refers to is that when crude is refined, one bbl in, yields more than one bbl out. For your typical crude, that number is/was something like 7%. For heavy crude, it is more. Heavy sour crude also yields more hydrogen, more sulfur and more heat, all nice to have in upgrading cheap crude into expensive products and steam for the associated turbines for producing electricity.
Would also like to correct a prior miss statement of yours. Toluene for the production of TNT is produced from coking coal, as are a bunch of other chemicals. But it is also produced in large volumes in petroleum refineries. As are a bunch of other high value hydrocarbons.
I have been out of refinery operations for nearly 40 years, so doubtless current operations are rather different from back then, but I do know that having more access to cheap crude that can be processed in US refineries is a very good thing. US refiners will be on it like a dog on a bone.
“Comrade Cartridge should cease commenting regarding oil refinery issues. I don’t know if he is bog ignorant on issues refinery, or merely lying.”
Embrace the power of “both/and”.
In at least one case, heavy crude is the preferred source of premium asphalt production.
“Cenovus Asphalt’s holistic approach starts with sourcing top-grade heavy crude oil from our heavy oil fields that produces some of the softest, straight-run grade of asphalt in North America. This travels through our pipelines to be processed at our specialized refining facilities into different asphalt products.”
https://www.cenovus.com/Our-operations/Products-and-services/Asphalt/
Technological developments are underway that make it easier to transport heavy crude by pipeline. As sweet, light crude fields are drawn down, their replacement by heavy, sour oil reserves must be accelerated.
Prudhoe Bay is full of this stuff. We should welcome the addition of heavy crude because it offers to extend the benefits of petrochemical independence
“You don’t seriously think Maduro is going to be convicted, do you?”
If it’s a conviction you demand, let’s black bag Putin and put him on trial in NYC.
From what I can tell, the Venezuelan Army is not really putting up much of a fight here. As mentioned earlier in the video, I suspect the Generals have sone sort of an agreement with US intelligence…–Suchomimus
Radcliffe has done a bang-up job in his role as CIA chief. He had assets on the ground as early as August with no one the wiser. Kudos!
“Sour heavy crude oil has become a much more important refinery feed stock in US (especially Gulf coast) refineries over the past 40 years or so.”
“Toluene for the production of TNT is produced from coking coal, as are a bunch of other chemicals. But it is also produced in large volumes in petroleum refineries. As are a bunch of other high value hydrocarbons.”
Heavy crude usage has diminished sharply since EPA went after pet coke using the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP). Refiners were forewarned and can’t get rid of the stuff.
Venezuelan crudes are typically heavier than 10.0° and require lots of naptha diluent to be pumpable. This introduces another world of ever more restrictive EPA rules.
As a response to EPA rules, Gulf Coast refineries have blended down density from about 30° to 35° since EPA got all over them in 2005. This has sharply decreased the amount of Venezuelan crude they can process. It has also doubled the WTI / Oronoco price spread to $ 20+ per barrel.
The high sulphur content of Venezuelan crudes is now a major liability. Not only does it require very expensive alloy (also due to higher temperatures, higher chlorides, and entrained sand), sulphur no longer has a home due to EPA low sulphur fuel rules. Even marine products have strict sulphur levels these days. The extra alloy cost to handle Canadian SCO at Marathon added about $ 5 billion to the cost of their 2012 Detroit Heavy Oil Upgrade Project (DHOUP), a whopping sum for a 140,000 bpd refinery. And the alloys – notably C-276 -require much more frequent replacement.
Synthetic toluene costs 10 time what coke oven byproduct toluene costs. No American refinery produces it today, the small runs are not worth it. American toluene is all imported from Brazil. Yields suck.
Why TNT production ended in the United States when the EPA cracked down on coke oven byproducts in the mid 1980s. We – and most of the rest of the world – then bought our TNT from Zakłady Chemiczne “Nitro-Chem” S.A. Poland still had coke ovens. The problem is Nitro-Chem only have so much capacity, and it is a drop in the bucket compared to the Russian output.
“In at least one case, heavy crude is the preferred source of premium asphalt production.”
You appear to be unfamiliar with the 2017 EPA rules changes to CFR Title 40, Chapter I, Subchapter N, Part 443, titled:
EFFLUENT LIMITATIONS GUIDELINES FOR EXISTING SOURCES AND STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE AND PRETREATMENT STANDARDS FOR NEW SOURCES FOR THE PAVING AND ROOFING MATERIALS (TARS AND ASPHALT) POINT SOURCE CATEGORY
EPA does not like asphaltum and is gradually choking off its use. They are all over materials which require heat energy at their points of use.
“EPA does not like asphaltum and is gradually choking off its use. They are all over materials which require heat energy at their points of use.”
Liquid asphalt is not going away any time soon. If anything, its use will be expanded.
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-12-30/trumps-epa-in-2025-fossil-fuel-friendly-approach-to-deregulation
“[Lee] Zeldin has argued the EPA can protect the environment and grow the economy at the same time. He announced ‘five pillars’ to guide the EPA’s work; four were economic goals, including energy dominance — President Trump’s shorthand for more fossil fuels — and boosting the auto industry.”
The auto industry rolls on asphalt and “energy dominance ” includes sour crude. It is hopelessly Quixotic of you to imagine the Trump.administration will be guided by your pedantic insistence on EPA restrictionism.
“The auto industry rolls on asphalt and “energy dominance ” includes sour crude. It is hopelessly Quixotic of you to imagine the Trump.administration will be guided by your pedantic insistence on EPA restrictionism.”
The EPA existed before Donald Trump’s Presidency and will exist after Donald Trump’s Presidency. If you believe the political prognosticators, Donald Trump is an aberration and the EPA will be back to its normal oppressive ways in 2029.
Asphaltum (bitumen) is solid at room temperature unless it is cut with a diluent like a middle distillate. Neat asphaltum can be melted, but it will solidify as it cools to room temperatures. The solidification of asphaltum due to cooling or diluent evaporation is the magic of asphalt concrete. EPA has long hated energy use for heating and the evaporation of hydrocarbons, so either mechanism is on their long term hit list.
“You cannot legally indict a Democrat in Washington, DC or NYC. The Obama judges there impeach any prosecutor with the temerity to indict Democrats and then throw out their indictments.”
Harvey Weinstein was one of the largest fundraisers for the Democratic Party in Hollywood. His trial was conducted by the same judge who will oversee Maduro ‘s.
[…] Here’s a roundup of Venezuela news since the successful operation to snatch him on Saturday. […]
“The EPA existed before Donald Trump’s Presidency and will exist after Donald Trump’s Presidency..”
USAID existed before Donald Trump’s Presidency and will exist after Donald Trump’s Presidency., albeit in attenuated form.
Similarly, the EPA is not an unalterable construct. For example, Congress recently eliminated civil penalties for CAFE noncompliance. As reshoring industrial production capacity emerges as the centerpiece of US economic policy, the EPA’s restrictions on industrial output will of necessity have to be reexamined if US industry is to be economically viable.
“Harvey Weinstein was one of the largest fundraisers for the Democratic Party in Hollywood. His trial was conducted by the same judge who will oversee Maduro ‘s.”
Weinstein was Public Enemy Number 1 of the Woke Me Too movement which dominated Democratic internal politics at the time. His public enemy status was far more important to his prosecution than any Democratic predilections he had in the past.
Weinstein got a Stalinist-style show trial. All of Vyshinsky’s victims were lifelong, dedicated Communists, too. Me Too was a Stalinst-style purge of white males within the Democratic Party. Party membership is no defense during a purge.
Chevron produces and imports about 150,000 BBL/D of sour heavy Venezuelan crude to the gulf coast.
Chevron has gulf coat refineries in Pasadena and Pascagoula. Where does Comrade Cartridge think that oil goes?
US Gulf Coast refiners have invested in plant equipment suitable for refining heavy sour crude. I specifically
mentioned the high cost aspect of the Corpus Christi Valero refinery in a prior comment. It was 40+ years ago, but my
recollection from back then is that 25,000 BBL/D refinery cost ~ $10 billion. Ouch! That refinery today processes
225,000 BBL/D. Quick Econ 101 question: What size loan can be paid back with an annual cost savings of 225,000 BBL/D x
$20/BBL x 365 D/Y? I bet it would cover the mortgage on Vlad’s dacha.
Comrade says “Synthetic toluene costs 10 time what coke oven byproduct toluene costs. No American refinery produces it today, the small runs are not worth it. American toluene is all imported from Brazil. Yields suck.”
From:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK592494/
“5.2. IMPORT/EXPORT
U.S. general imports of toluene in 2012 were estimated at 430 million pounds (195,000 metric tons) (USITC 2013b). Exports during the same year were estimated at 670 million pounds (300,000 metric tons) (USITC 2013a).”
From:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/us-toluene-market-unveiling-competitive-dynamics-qavzc/
“US Toluene Market size is estimated to be USD 11.5 Billion in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 15.2 Billion by 2033 at a CAGR of 3.5% from 2026 to 2033.” A reasonable average value for US Toluene is $800/metric ton. Do the math.
If you could refer me to your Polish source(s) who sells coke oven Toluene for 1/10th the cost of refinery toluene, please do so. Me and my buddies will gladly buy all that they have.
Go here for US asphalt production:
https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=MAPRX_NUS_1&f=M
Hint: It is a lot.
Comrade, do you use Chatgpt to pen your missives? They seem chock-a-block with hallucinations. Or do they come from your Russian paymasters? Either way, you should stop. Leave that comment button alone. You are wasting everyone’s time.
“Bog ignorant” or pathological liar?
Refineries in Texas/Louisiana specifically designed to process Venezuelan heavy crude oil:
Motiva Port Arthur Refinery (world’s largest refinery)
Marathon Garyville Refinery
Valero Port Arthur Refinery
Phillips 66 Lake Charles Refinery
PBF Chalmette Refinery
The Chevron refineries use how many barrels per day? You will find that the Gulf Coast refineries have to “upgrade” Orinoco crude with at least a 2x dose of added light sweet crude. Then they have to sell the excess carbon and sulphur which they cannot dump through HSFO products anymore. They have had some success finding alternative buyers for sulphur in ag chemicals, but the pet coke is being dumped for $ 60 per metric ton (lower than the coal price!). And the pet coke market is shrinking 12% per annum.
2024 Commerce Department numbers show the U.S. imported 600,000 tons of industrial grade toluene and exported 88,000 tons to Pemex on a long term contract. Another 2,000 tons was exported in penny packets to places like Jamaica, where shipping costs prevail in the buying decision. That Pemex toluene is just Brazilian or South Korean toluene which is transhipped. The South Koreans seem to be elbowing the Brazilians out of the toluene market since Posco commissioned their new coke oven battery at the Pohang works.
None of this is the ASTM D841 Nitration Grade Toluene used for TNT production. The industrial grade toluene is mostly used for pass car fuel octane boosting, so they have very relaxed other aromatic and water limits which just won’t work for TNT production. Motor fuel toluene used to be specced under ASTM D362, but EPA had that specification withdrawn years ago and every motor grade toluene transaction since is bespoke.
Everyone has DPAed their Nitration Grade Toluene, so there is no current market data and the last available pricing data on NGT we have is May 2024. NGT was priced in the $ 1,100 – $ 1,200 per metric ton range that month. Pemex was buying industrial grade toluene under their contract at $ 817 per metric ton. Brazil was exporting IGT at $ 500 to $ 525 per metric ton.
There are no Polish numbers available, nor German numbers, because all their BTX tap toluene goes straight to Nitro-Chemie. The Russian VPK established a transfer price for BTX toluene (coke oven tap NGT) of 9,000 ₽ per metric ton in 2022 which I believe still holds today. This is about $ 115 at today’s exchange rate (and the Polish transfer price is probably the same). It is the price JSC SUMZ pays the various Russian steel mills with coke oven batteries for their BTX tap toluene, which meets ASTM D841 (NGT) requirements right out of the byproducts plant. SUMZ is the biggest Russian chemical supplier to the Russian munitions industry.
Had Droolin’ Joe or Kamala been elected in 2024, EPA would have launched a rule to replace asphalt concrete with cementitious concrete in federally financed highway projects. They were talking about a 20 year phase out. No market is too big for EPA to screw with.