U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the American armed forces to be prepared to conduct ground operations to eliminate drug cartels in Venezuela, a move set to cause even greater geopolitical upheaval across the Latin American region.
During his Christmas address, Trump claimed that the U.S. has so far managed to reduce maritime drug trafficking from the region by 96%.
"Now we are trying to figure out who constitutes the remaining 4%, because in the rest, we have almost completely blocked the flow," the American President stated, noting that future efforts will focus on combating drug traffickers on land.
The maritime blockade for two months
Prior to this, media reports indicated that the White House ordered U.S. forces to focus on enforcing the oil blockade of Venezuela for at least the next two months. At the same time, the main attention remains on economic pressure through sanctions against the government of Nicolás Maduro, even though military contingencies exist. "Despite the fact that military options still exist, the priority is to use economic pressure through the enforcement of sanctions to achieve the result desired by the White House," a U.S. official stated.
Toward a new ship seizure
Trump accuses Venezuela of flooding the U.S. with narcotics and, in this context, has been conducting strikes for months against vessels originating from South America allegedly carrying drugs. Furthermore, the American President frequently threatens to launch attacks against cartel infrastructure on land, while he has reportedly authorized the CIAto conduct covert activities targeting Caracas. So far this month, the U.S. Coast Guard has intercepted two tankers in the Caribbean Sea.
Both ships were fully loaded with Venezuelan crude oil. The statements from the White House official followed a report by Reuters, which claimed that the Coast Guard was awaiting additional forces to carry out a third seizure, which had failed last Sunday, on an empty sanctioned vessel known as the Bella-1.
The U.S. government is the threat
Venezuela's Ambassador to the UN, Samuel Moncada, stated pointedly: "The threat is not Venezuela. The threat is the U.S. government." The White House official did not provide details regarding what it specifically means for the military to focus "almost exclusively" on seizing Venezuelan oil. The U.S. military presence is spread across the globe, and most missions and capabilities are not related to naval seizures.
Over 15,000 troops combat-ready
The Pentagon has concentrated a massive military presence in the Caribbean with more than 15,000 troops. This includes an aircraft carrier, 11 other warships, and over a dozen F-35 aircraft. While many military units can be used for sanctions enforcement, many others, such as fighter jets, are not suitable for this specific mission.
Sanctions to the maximum extent
Last Tuesday, the United States informed the UN that it will impose and implement sanctions "to the maximum extent" to deprive Maduro of resources. Earlier this month, Trump ordered a "blockade" of all sanctioned tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, but the White House official's use of the word "quarantine" seems to echo the language used during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, when President John F. Kennedy's administration sought to avoid escalation. Robert McNamara, Defense Secretary during the Kennedy administration, said in 2002: "We called it a quarantine because the word 'blockade' is a word of war."
Trump fires back
It is recalled that on December 17, Trump announced a "complete and total blockade of all sanctioned tankers heading to and from Venezuela." He characterized the Maduro government as a terrorist organization and accused it of "stealing" Washington's assets, as well as of "terrorism, drug trafficking, and human trafficking." The American leader promised that military activity around Venezuela will intensify: the U.S. "will not allow criminals, terrorists, or other countries to loot, threaten, or cause damage" to America, nor to seize oil, land, or any other assets that "must be returned immediately." Previously, members of Trump's own party had expressed objections to a military intervention in Venezuela.
Maduro's harsh response to Trump - Heavy penalties for piracy and seizures of Venezuelan tankers
The Venezuelan National Assembly, controlled by the ruling party, unanimously approved a law on Tuesday providing for prison sentences of up to 20 years for anyone promoting or financing acts characterized as "piracy" or "blockades." The legislation comes as a direct response to recent U.S. actions against the country's oil exports.
"Freedom of Navigation and Trade" law
The law, which also includes references to "other international crimes," was passed in an emergency session of the National Assembly in Caracas. The initiative followed Washington's moves against vessels carrying Venezuelan crude. The draft law, named the "Law for the Guarantee of Freedom of Navigation and Trade against Piracy, Blockades, and Other International Illegal Acts," was submitted on Monday by pro-government MP Giuseppe Alessandrello. The President of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez, stated at the end of the session that the bill will be forwarded to the executive branch for ratification and will take effect once published in the country's Official Gazette.
Tanker seizures and escalating pressure
Earlier this month, the U.S. Coast Guard seized a supertanker carrying sanctioned Venezuelan crude. Additionally, according to U.S. officials, an attempt was made over the weekend to intercept two more ships linked to Venezuela. These moves are considered Washington's strongest blow against the state oil company PDVSA since 2020, when the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on former trading partners of the company, two subsidiaries of Russia's Rosneft. Those sanctions had led to a significant reduction in production and exports. PDVSA has been under U.S. sanctions since 2019. The U.S. government has increased pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in recent months by strengthening its military presence in the Caribbean. At the same time, it has conducted attacks against vessels, claiming—without presenting evidence—that they are involved in drug trafficking. American authorities state that these operations are part of efforts to combat sanctions evasion and drug smuggling. On his part, Maduro maintains that the United States is seeking to undermine the Venezuelan economy and oust him from power.
Fierce attack on the opposition
Rodriguez launched a fierce attack against the country's political opposition. He referred to its leader, who has been in hiding for months but traveled to Oslo earlier in December to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. The President of the National Assembly accused the opposition of promoting sanctions, saying they "stole, looted, and submitted to American imperialism," adding that they "rejoice in the aggressive actions currently taking place in the Caribbean Sea."
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