The United States dispatched three advanced warships toward Venezuela’s coastline this week to disrupt major drug trafficking operations, AFP reported on Wednesday. This significant naval deployment directly supports President Trump’s intensified efforts against narcotics flowing into America. Furthermore, it signals a sharp escalation in US pressure tactics against Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
Washington doubled its bounty to a staggering $50 million earlier this month specifically targeting Maduro on serious drug charges. These three powerful Aegis-class guided missile destroyers are now actively steaming toward Venezuelan waters, according to the anonymous US source who spoke with AFP. Simultaneously, US media reports indicate plans to deploy approximately 4,000 Marines to bolster regional security efforts soon.
The Trump administration consistently refuses to recognize Maduro’s previous election victories as legitimate. Officials explicitly accuse him of personally leading the notorious “Cartel de los Soles” or “Cartel of the Suns.” Consequently, the Treasury Department recently imposed a special terrorist designation upon this group last month. It also charged the cartel with supporting the Tren de Aragua and Sinaloa drug organizations, both labeled foreign terrorist entities earlier this year.
White House Vows to Stop Drug Flood
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt firmly stated President Trump would employ “every element” of national power to halt the drug influx during Tuesday’s briefing. She emphasized his unwavering commitment to stopping drugs from flooding American communities and bringing perpetrators to justice, describing the Venezuelan government bluntly as a “narco-terror cartel” operating under Maduro’s control.
Moreover, she declared the administration’s firm position that Maduro holds no legitimate presidential authority whatsoever. Instead, Leavitt characterized him as a fugitive cartel leader indicted in the US for trafficking drugs that endanger American citizens through the narcotics trade flooding across the border.
Facing this significant US military build-up, President Maduro announced a dramatic countermeasure on Monday, pledging to deploy a staggering 4.5 million civilian militia members across Venezuela immediately. Maduro specifically framed this massive mobilization as a necessary response to perceived US aggression and threats against his government’s sovereignty. This move significantly raises regional tensions dramatically.
