Venezuela boosting effort against drug trafficking after US boat strike
The article reports that Venezuela is intensifying it’s efforts to combat drug trafficking by deploying more troops to its coastal regions, including the Guajira area in Zulia state, the Paraguana peninsula in Falcon, Nueva Esparta island, and the states of Sucre and Delta Amacuro. Venezuelan defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said these areas are key drug trafficking routes and that Venezuela must handle the issue independently, implicitly criticizing the United States.
This escalation follows a recent U.S. military strike on a Venezuelan boat, which killed 11 alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang accused of narcotics trafficking. The U.S., under President Donald Trump, claimed the boat was headed to the U.S. with illegal drugs. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro initially condemned the strike as an act of war but later expressed respect for Trump and downplayed the prospects of military conflict.
Experts suggest the U.S. strike serves as both a warning against drug smuggling and a message to Maduro regarding American military resolve. The strike has drawn criticism from U.S. senators, including Tammy Duckworth and rand Paul, who raised concerns about the lack of due process and the implications of killing suspects without trial.
Venezuela boosting effort against drug trafficking after US boat strike
Venezuelan officials announced Sunday that they will increase the deployment of troops in the country’s coastal states in a bid to crack down on drug trafficking.
Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said President Nicolas Maduro ordered more troops in the Guajira region of Zulia state and the Paraguana peninsula in Falcon. Padrino said the area is part of “a drug trafficking route.”
Venezuela is also increasing its troop deployment on the Nueva Esparta island and in the states of Sucre and Delta Amacuro from 10,000 to 25,000.
“No one is going to come and do the work for us,” Padrino said. “No one is going to step on this land and do what we’re supposed to do.”
The defense minister’s comment is likely a jab at the United States and the Trump administration, which carried out a strike against a Venezuelan boat and killed 11 people, alleged to be Tren de Aragua gang members. President Donald Trump said on Truth Social the boat was “heading to the United States” while transporting “illegal narcotics.”
Maduro condemned the strike as an “act of war,” and vowed last week to resist any effort to topple his regime. However, he has since changed his tune, saying he respects Trump and that “none of the differences we’ve had” can lead to military conflict.
Andrew “Art” Arthur, a former immigration judge and resident fellow in law and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies, told the Washington Examiner that the strike is “partially” a message not to smuggle drugs. It is also a message to Marudo that the U.S. is willing to take necessary military action.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) criticized the lack of “due process” in the strike, warning on Sunday that it opens U.S. citizens to similar strikes from other countries. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) also condemned “killing someone without a trial” in a statement on X.
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