U.S. refineries received an average of 701,000 barrels of Venezuelan crude a day in July, more than five times the volume at the end of 2025, ABC reported, citing official figures.
ABC reported that imports reached 701,000 barrels per day in July 2026, the highest monthly volume since May 2017. The average in December 2025 was 137,000 barrels a day. The newspaper calculated an increase of 412%. The U.S. Energy Information Administration publishes monthly country-level import data, though the price comparisons cited by ABC could not all be independently verified in the available search results.
The average delivered cost of Venezuelan crude in the United States was $71.28 a barrel in July, compared with $77.87 for all imported oil, ABC reported, citing the EIA. Venezuelan crude was also cheaper than Canadian, Mexican and Colombian supplies. The comparison needs context: much of Venezuela’s crude is heavy and high in sulfur, grades that usually sell at a discount to lighter benchmarks.
ABC estimated that Venezuelan oil delivered to the United States from March through July was worth about $6.53 billion. The July flow amounted to roughly 21.7 million barrels, worth about $1.55 billion. The July figures were published on Sept. 30, and the next monthly update was expected on Oct. 30, the newspaper said.
The increase followed a steep drop in 2025. U.S. imports from Venezuela were about 7,000 barrels per day in July 2025 and 137,000 in December. ABC linked the subsequent rise to changed political relations after Nicolás Maduro was captured on Jan. 3. White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told the newspaper that the renewed trade was supporting Venezuela’s oil industry and adding supply to U.S. and global markets.
The United States has Gulf Coast refineries equipped to process heavy, high-sulfur crude. ABC said a late-August agreement with businessman Alejandro Betancourt to develop 17 Venezuelan oil fields, which was still being finalized when the article was published, came after the July data and therefore did not account for the increase.