Hostile Statements towards Venezuela
US Military Deploys to Southern Caribbean to Combat Drug Cartels
The United States has deployed military forces to the southern Caribbean as part of an operation targeting Latin American drug cartels. This deployment, which began in early August 2025, includes more than 4,000 Marines and sailors, along with naval and air assets such as the USS Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), P-8 Poseidon spy planes, at least one warship, and one attack submarine [1][2][4].
The operation is aimed at combating drug trafficking threats posed by cartels like the so-called Cártel de los Soles, which the U.S. government alleges is closely linked to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his administration. The cartel is described as one of the largest criminal organizations in the hemisphere, and the deployment is framed as a measure to protect U.S. national security interests, including countering narcotics routes through the Caribbean [1][3][4].
The Navy and Marine Corps characterize the deployment as "regularly scheduled," but official reports confirm that the forces are heading to the southern Caribbean specifically for anti-drug cartel operations. The operation involves cooperation with regional governments, although the exact participating countries have not been disclosed [1][2].
As of mid-August 2025, the forces have already set sail from Naval Station Norfolk and are actively deploying assets to the region. The operation is expected to continue evolving over several months, utilizing international airspace and waters, indicating an ongoing U.S. military presence focused on interdiction and deterrence [1][2][3].
The deployment comes after the Trump administration classified Mexican cartels such as the Sinaloa cartel and other criminal syndicates, including the Venezuelan "Tren de Aragua" and the Salvadoran MS-13, as foreign terrorist organizations at the end of January [5]. In addition, President Trump signed a secret order instructing the Pentagon to use military force against foreign drug cartels designated as "terrorist" organizations [6].
US Attorney General Pam Bondi recently doubled the bounty on Venezuelan President Maduro to $50 million, accusing him of heading the Cártel de los Soles and bringing drugs and violence into the country [2]. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reaffirmed the charges against Maduro, describing the Maduro regime as a "criminal organization that has essentially taken control of the territory of a country" [7]. Rubio also described the Cártel de los Soles as a "criminal organization that presents itself as a government" [7].
The deployment to the southern Caribbean is a significant escalation in the U.S.'s efforts to combat drug trafficking in the region. Retired Colonel Craig Deare, a former military attaché at the US embassy in Mexico, suggested that the U.S. could consider using military force under certain circumstances, citing the 1989 operation to overthrow and capture Panama's president, Manuel Antonio Noriega, for drug trafficking [8].
It's important to note that the OPEC cartel is trying to hold its own while the U.S. government wants to limit certain oil imports, but this fact is not directly related to the previous facts and is from a different article [9].
References:
- CNN
- Reuters
- The Washington Post
- The New York Times
- The White House
- CBS News
- Politico
- NBC News
- Bloomberg
Read also:
- Weekly happenings in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Southwest region's most popular posts, accompanied by an inquiry:
- Discussion between Putin and Trump in Alaska could potentially overshadow Ukraine's concerns
- Massive 8.8 earthquake hits off the coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, prompting Japan to issue a tsunami alert.
