Venezuela announced on Sunday that it will expand military deployments in several coastal states to combat drug trafficking, following the United States’ decision to send 10 additional fighter jets to Puerto Rico for anti-cartel operations.
President Nicolás Maduro ordered increased military presence in the Guajira region of Zulia State and the Paraguaná Peninsula in Falcón, areas Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino described as “a drug trafficking route.” The expansion will also extend to Nueva Esparta Island and the states of Sucre and Delta Amacuro. According to officials, about 25,000 troops will be deployed, up from the 10,000 already stationed in Zulia and Táchira, which border Colombia.
“No one is going to come and do the work for us. No one is going to step on this land and do what we’re supposed to do,” Padrino said in a video message posted on social media.
The move comes amid escalating tensions with Washington, where President Donald Trump has intensified U.S. counter-narcotics efforts in the Caribbean. The latest deployment follows a U.S. strike last week that killed 11 people and sank a Venezuelan vessel Trump said was transporting drugs.
Maduro has accused the U.S. of pursuing regime change, while Trump denied such intentions, framing the crackdown as a response to U.S. drug overdose deaths, which he compared to wartime casualties.
According to CNN, the U.S. administration is considering additional strikes, including potential operations inside Venezuela, a step that would mark a sharp escalation in hostilities.
