Reports indicate the US president is considering military action against cartels within Venezuela.
Citing sources familiar with the discussions, CNN reported Friday that President Trump is considering strikes against drug cartels operating in Venezuela.
These reported considerations coincide with the Pentagon’s deployment of at least eight warships and a submarine to the eastern Caribbean.
According to CNN, the recent missile strike on a boat allegedly smuggling drugs from Venezuela was only the beginning of Trump’s strategy to combat drug trafficking in the region and potentially remove Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro from power.
During his first term, Trump’s administration imposed significant sanctions on the socialist government of Venezuela, targeting its oil industry and financial institutions. Last month, Attorney General Pam Bondi doubled the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest, offering $50 million.
While Trump denied any plans for regime change on Friday, he described Venezuela’s upcoming 2024 presidential election as “very strange.” Earlier in the week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated the US would “take on drug cartels wherever they are.”
Maduro has refuted accusations of involvement in drug trafficking and pledged to declare Venezuela a “republic in arms” if attacked by the US.
“Just as it wasn’t true that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, what they’re saying about Venezuela isn’t true either,” Maduro stated on Friday, referencing the justification used for the 2003 US invasion of Iraq.
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