U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States will “very soon” launch ground operations against suspected drug traffickers originating from Venezuela.
Speaking via video link to American military service members on Thursday, Trump stated:
“You may have noticed that people no longer want to send shipments by sea, and we will begin stopping them on land as well. Land is easier, and we will start very soon.”
So far, Venezuela has not issued any response to the president’s announcement.
Background and Growing Tensions
Trump’s administration has been assessing a number of measures targeting Venezuela, arguing that Nicolás Maduro plays a central role in facilitating illegal drug flows that have “killed Americans.”
Maduro has rejected all accusations, insisting he has no ties to drug trafficking.
Until now, U.S. military forces in the region have focused primarily on anti-narcotics missions, although the scale of deployed U.S. firepower exceeds what is typically necessary for such operations.
Since September, U.S. forces have conducted at least 21 strikes on vessels suspected of drug trafficking in the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean, resulting in no fewer than 83 fatalities.
Reports of potential new actions intensified in recent weeks after the U.S. military deployed additional troops to the Caribbean, coinciding with worsening relations between Washington and Caracas.
