The US could begin land strikes targeting alleged Venezuela-linked drug operations “pretty soon,” President Donald Trump has said, while claiming to have almost completely stopped narcotics inflow by sea. Venezuela has vehemently denied having any links to drug cartels.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday, Trump claimed Venezuela-linked maritime drug trafficking had dropped by 92%, saying US forces were “knocking out drugs at levels that nobody’s ever seen before.” “We knocked out 96% of the drugs coming in by water,” he added, later asserting, “It's going to be starting on land pretty soon.”
The US leader, however, provided no details on potential targets or the scope of the operation.
Since September, US forces have significantly ramped up military presence in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific and carried out more than 20 strikes against suspected drug vessels, killing scores of people. Trump has argued that the operations have saved tens of thousands of Americans by stopping narcotics from getting into the US.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has consistently rejected Trump’s claims about Caracas’ links to narcocartels, accusing Washington of seeking to overthrow his government under the guise of an anti-drug campaign.
This week, US authorities also seized the oil tanker Skipper off Venezuela’s coast, a cargo ship allegedly transporting oil from Venezuela and Iran. Officials in Caracas condemned the seizure as “blatant theft” and “criminal naval piracy.”
Meanwhile, Russia, which has long-established close ties with Venezuela, has publicly backed Maduro this week. According to the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin “expressed solidarity with the people of Venezuela and reaffirmed his support for the Maduro government’s resolve to defend national interests and sovereignty against foreign pressure.” The two leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to a strategic partnership treaty signed in May.