This action follows the US’s deployment of an amphibious squadron of three warships to Venezuela’s coast last week, which it said was an operation against Latin American drug cartels. On Monday, news agencies reported that two more US ships—a guided missile cruiser and a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine—had also been sent to the Caribbean, and that the deployment included approximately 4,500 US service members, with 2,200 of them being Marines.
This US naval buildup comes after the administration of President Donald Trump last week accused Venezuela’s left-wing president, Nicolas Maduro, of being involved in cocaine trafficking and collaborating with drug cartels. Washington also announced that it had doubled the reward for Maduro’s capture or prosecution on drug charges from $25 million to $50 million. The US is also offering a $25 million reward for the arrest or prosecution of Venezuelan Minister of the Interior, Diosdado Cabello.
US officials have accused Maduro and members of his government of leading the Venezuelan cocaine trafficking cartel, “Cartel de los Soles,” which Washington has designated as a terrorist organization. Maduro has rejected these accusations, in turn accusing the US of trying to incite regime change in his country.
Maduro’s Response and Military Mobilization
On Monday, Maduro emphasized during a weekly television show that his country, unlike neighboring Colombia, is “free of coca leaf crops and free of cocaine production.” Maduro, who has also criticized the US government for not addressing drug consumption within its own borders, has mobilized hundreds of thousands of local militia members to bolster national security amid the threats from Washington. Approximately 15,000 Venezuelan troops have also been deployed to the country’s border with Colombia to crack down on criminal groups, including those involved in drug trafficking.
In a separate announcement on Tuesday, Defense Minister Padrino stated that an ongoing operation in Venezuela’s northeastern region had resulted in the dismantling of shipyards where criminals intended to “manufacture semisubmersibles and boats to transport drugs by sea” to markets in Europe and North America.
The deployment of US warships and personnel off Venezuela’s coast occurs as Trump advocates for using the military to thwart cartels he blames for the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs into US communities and for perpetuating violence in some US cities.
Venezuela’s mission to the United Nations denounced the US’s “escalation of hostile actions and threats” in a letter, as reported by local media outlet Noticias Venevision on Tuesday. Referring to the imminent arrival of US ships off the coast, Venezuela told the UN that Washington’s actions were “a serious threat to regional peace and security,” while the presence of a nuclear-powered attack submarine was “a clear act of intimidation.” The letter also demanded “guarantees” that the US would “not deploy or threaten to use nuclear weapons in the region.”
Despite the military buildup, analysts have downplayed the possibility of a US invasion or airstrikes on Venezuela, and many Venezuelans have dismissed the US threat as posturing, according to the AFP news agency. Maduro, who claimed a third term in office following a July 2024 election described as deeply flawed, has been a target of Trump’s attention since the US president’s first term from 2017 to 2021. However, the US policy of maximum pressure on Venezuela, which includes an ongoing oil embargo, has failed to remove Maduro from power. Regarding the escalating tension, International Crisis Group analyst Phil Gunson told the AFP, “I think what we’re seeing represents an attempt to create anxiety in government circles and force Maduro to negotiate something.”
