WASHINGTON —

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testified on Capitol Hill Thursday that President Trump directed the oil tanker's seizure to push back against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and a regime she described as "systematically covering and flooding our country with deadly drugs."

The seizure follows a series of strikes on alleged drug boats in the region that have reportedly killed at least 80 people.

Secretary Noem also told lawmakers that "lethal doses of cocaine" were prevented from entering the U.S. due to the seizure of the oil tanker.

However, data analyzed by the Get the Facts Data team revealed that while Venezuela does produce and traffic cocaine, it is not a primary direct trafficker to the U.S. And, the only known direct route of cocaine from that countr

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