Information
Venezuela has announced plans to significantly increase its military presence in key coastal and border regions in an effort to counter drug trafficking. President Nicolás Maduro ordered additional troops to be sent to the Guajira region of Zulia state and the Paraguana peninsula in Falcón, areas described as active trafficking routes by Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino. The deployment will also extend to Nueva Esparta, Sucre, and Delta Amacuro, with troop numbers expected to rise to 25,000, more than double the 10,000 currently stationed in Zulia and Táchira, which border Colombia. Padrino emphasised that Venezuela alone must take responsibility for defending its territory, rejecting outside interference.
The move follows heightened tensions with the United States, which recently sent 10 fighter jets to Puerto Rico to support operations against drug cartels in the Caribbean. The buildup comes after a US strike last week sank a Venezuelan boat and killed 11 people, which Washington claimed were involved in drug trafficking. President Donald Trump has framed the crackdown as part of a broader war on narcotics, comparing overdose deaths in the US to wartime casualties. While denying that regime change in Venezuela is the goal, his administration is reportedly considering further strikes on cartel targets inside the country, a step that would mark a sharp escalation and deepen the already strained U.S.-Venezuelan relations.
Source: Reuters, Business Standard
So What
While it is possible that this announcement is fake and intended to reduce current tensions, it is also conceivable that Trump’s ongoing pressure has prompted Venezuela to take action. However, it is unlikely that Trump will step down anytime soon, as he continues to blame the government for the drug flows into the U.S. Regardless of the truth about these drug flows, Trump is likely to use this narrative to advocate for regime change in Venezuela.
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