Washington (EFE). – White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that the United States is prepared to ” use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country,” after being asked about the deployment of three ships with 4,000 soldiers in Caribbean waters near Venezuela.
“The (Venezuelan President Nicolas) Maduro regime is not the legitimate government—it is a Nacro terror cartel,” Leavitt added.
The White House spokeswoman’s comments follow reports by AP quoting a US official briefed on the planning of the deployment of three Aegis guided-missile destroyers to the waters off Venezuela as part of President Donald Trump’s effort to combat threats from Latin American drug cartels.
Trump’s deployment of US forces in the Caribbean comes amid a push to use the military against cartels, which he blames for the influx of fentanyl and other illicit drugs into the US.
On Monday, Maduro announced that he would deploy over 4.5 million militia members nationwide, citing increased threats from the US against Venezuela.
“The empire has gone mad and has renewed its threats to Venezuela’s peace and tranquility,” Maduro said at an event in Caracas, without mentioning any specific action.
The Trump administration announced earlier in August, it was doubling the reward for Maduro’s arrest to 50 million dollars, claiming he is a drug trafficker collaborating with cartels sending drugs into the US.
In 2020, during Trump’s first term (2017-2021), Maduro and other Venezuelan officials and associates were indicted in New York on federal charges, including narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine. EFE
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