Venezuela Frees U.S. Ship And Crew After Smuggling Investigation

Venezuelan authorities this morning released the U.S.-flagged cargo ship Ocean Atlas from two weeks of detention on suspicion of arms trafficking.

This comes as a relief to Intermarine, the owner of the ship, as well as for the 15-man all-American crew who had been stuck in limbo since August 29 when Venezuelan customs officials discovered a handful of weapons on board.

“We are pleased to confirm that charges have been dropped against the vessel and crew and the master has been returned to the vessel. We continue to work cooperatively with the Venezuelan authorities to bring this matter to a successful conclusion,” says Will Terrill, v.p. at Intermarine, in a statement.

The weapons were not accompanied by the proper documentation and thus were technically illegal for the ship to be carrying in Venezuelan waters.

There’s no telling yet what a subsequent search of the Ocean Atlas’ cargo revealed, but the captain, Jeff Raider, was removed from the ship for questioning. The rest of the crew was also interrogated.

Venezuela Holds U.S. Vessel And Crew On Suspicion Of Arms Trafficking

While all eyes have been trained to the Middle East, South America has been quietly heating up.
Last month Hugo Chavez had a US citizen detained entering into Venezuela from Columbia, maintaining that he was part of a plot to oust him from his presidency. He alluded to the fact that the man was a mercenary.
Now, Forbes own Christopher Helman and his side kick at large Jeff Bercovici, seem to have broken the story of the week by having an inside connection aboard the vessel, Ocean Atlas. The report has been confirmed by the a US embassy in Caracas, as well as the Seafarers Union that the ship has been detained.
The confiscation of the ship has the makings of an International incident,
if the ship is detained much longer..
I can only help but wonder, if this is the makings, of "George Washington's" false flag event.
Stay tuned, for there's more to come

The Venezuelan government has seized a U.S. flagged ship and detained its captain for more than a week. The ship Ocean Atlas has been at port in Maracaibo, Venezuela since August 29. After four hours in port, the ship was boarded by armed security personel, and the captain was detained on suspicion of trafficking in arms or drugs. The rest of the crew of 16 Americans has remained on board under guard. According to a well-placed source arrest warrants have been issued for all of the crewmembers, who are to be taken off the ship for questioning.

Incredibly, my Forbes colleague Jeff Bercovici has been in touch over email with one of the crewmen, Russell Macomber, who has managed to post