U.S. Navy sailor detained in Venezuela, officials say
Update: On Sept. 17, the Navy identified the sailor detained in Venezuela as Wilbert Joseph Castaneda who, according to his releasable service record, enlisted in 2007.
An American Navy sailor has been detained in Venezuela while visiting the country on personal travel, several U.S. officials confirmed to CBS News.
It's not yet known why the sailor is being detained, but one of the officials told CBS News the sailor was not on approved leave by the U.S. military or on official travel to Venezuela at the time of the detention.
Several U.S. officials and a senior Defense Department official tell CBS News the enlisted sailor is a petty officer first class and formerly a Navy SEAL who was assigned to a West Coast team. One of the officials said the sailor was no longer authorized to wear the Trident, the symbol of a qualified SEAL. A U.S. official said the trident was pulled due to poor performance.
Dave Madden, a former Navy SEAL officer and Afghanistan veteran, told CBS News that it's uncommon for a SEAL to be stripped of the Trident insignia, a gold eagle holding an anchor and three-pronged spear, which signifies their membership in the elite military community.
"It happens sometimes, but it's pretty rare," said Madden, suggesting that a SEAL would likely have done "a pretty egregious thing" to be punished in that way.
Madden explained that typically, SEALs may be stripped of the Trident because of a Captain's Mast, which is a non-judicial disciplinary procedure or a court martial. While each case is unique, ex-SEALs may either return to a previous Navy job, be resigned to administrative work or be dismissed from military service.
The U.S. State Department has issued a travel warning against visiting Venezuela, urging Americans to "reconsider travel due to wrongful detentions, terrorism, and poor health infrastructure."
The detention was first reported by CNN.
The U.S. and Venezuela have a tense relationship as several administrations have tried to pressure the autocratic Venezuelan government to tamp down on corruption.
Venezuela held elections earlier this year, but the Biden administration has questioned the results that kept President Nicolas Maduro in power. The State Department said in an August statement that "Nicolás Maduro and his representatives have tampered with the results of that election, falsely claimed victory, and carried out wide-spread repression to maintain power."
Earlier this week, the U.S. seized Maduro's plane, which is Venezuela's equivalent to Air Force One, over alleged sanctions violations.
This marks the third high-profile detention of a U.S. service member in a little over a year in a country with a rocky relationship with the U.S. Army Private Travis King was detained after crossing into North Korea in July 2023, Army Staff Sgt. Gordon Black was detained in Russia in May of this year, and now, the U.S. Navy sailor in Venezuela.
King was released back to the U.S. after just over two months in North Korean custody and is facing a court martial in Texas later this month. He is expected to plead guilty to desertion, according to his attorney. A Russian court in June sentenced Black to almost four years in jail.