Cuban counterintelligence bans cellphones near Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as tensions in the Caribbean build and the US seizes a third oil tanker.<\/b>
\nCuban agents are protecting Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro as tensions flare with the US \u2014 as American forces seized a third oil tanker in the Caribbean on Sunday.
The counterintelligence forces from Cuba have been making sure the embattled Maduro is surrounded by security around the clock and no one around him carries phones or other electronic devices, according to reporting by the Wall Street Journal.
\u201cThey are taking very good care of Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and his immediate successors,\u201d said Thomas A. Shannon Jr., a former high-ranking US diplomat who spoke to the Journal. \u201cThe Cubans are not going to go quietly into the dark night.\u201d
The seizing of oil vessels could create a crisis-level shortage in Cuba, which gets a majority of its oil from longtime longtime community ally Venezuela.
Cuban agents have long been a presence in the country but recently ramped up protection of Maduro as President Donald Trump has criticized the country\u2019s government, built up US military presence in the ocean near the South American country and announced a \u201cblockade.\u201d
Earlier this month, American forces seized a ship carrying over 1 million barrels of oil to Cuba, and on Saturday a Bella 1 tanker flying a Panamanian flag was seized as it headed to Venezuela to load up, according to Bloomberg.
Without oil imports, experts warn the Cuban energy grid is on the brink, with frequent power outages plaguing the island.
In response to mounting tensions between Caracas and Washington, Maduro has sought to keep appearances up, posting consistently on Tiktok. On Saturday, he posted a video of himself singing \u201cNo War, Yes Peace\u201d \u2013 a hit remix of his voice \u2013 to some parrots at a zoo.
But behind closed doors, Maduro has taken precautions. He rarely schedules his public appearances and has been rotating sleeping locations, according to sources who spoke with the New York Times. It\u2019s unclear how many Cuban counterintelligence agents have been deployed to Venezuela.<\/p>\n