Washington, (EFE). – United States President Donald Trump said Wednesday he authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations against drug trafficking in Venezuela.
«Well, I don’t want to tell you exactly, but we are certainly looking at land now because we’ve got the sea very well under control,» the president responded during a press conference in the Oval Office.
The New York Times reported that Trump authorized the CIA to carry out covert operations in Venezuela because, he said, the leaders of that country have «emptied their prisons» to send prisoners to the US, and he accused Caracas of trafficking drugs into US territory.
Asked by a journalist whether he authorized the CIA to «eliminate» Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Trump said, «Wouldn’t it be a ridiculous question for me to answer? But I think Venezuela is feeling the heat.»
The US president justified the bombings against several boats in the Caribbean by stating that the Coast Guard interdictions did not work.
He also affirmed that each one of those boats transported enough drugs for thousands of people to die of overdoses.
According to The New York Times, Trump authorized the CIA to carry out operations in Venezuela as well as in the Caribbean, in an increase of its actions against the government of Nicolás Maduro to overthrow him.
However, it is not yet known if the agency is already planning any action or if they are conceived as a contingency plan.
The United States has attacked several boats in recent weeks on international coasts near Venezuela, killing approximately 30 people. Washington claims they were carrying drugs.
The Trump Administration accuses Maduro of leading the Cartel of the Suns, something that the government of Caracas strongly rejects and denounces as an intimidation campaign by the United States. EFE
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