Tensions continue to rise in the Caribbean after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro accused the U.S. of trying to topple his government. On Tuesday, Maduro claimed that American warships off his coast aren’t about drug cartels; they’re about regime change.
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Maduro said the naval buildup includes military vessels with 1,200 missiles, calling it “the biggest threat our continent has seen in a hundred years.”
He warned that Venezuela is “super prepared” to respond, saying he “would constitutionally declare a republic in arms” if the U.S. attacks.
The Pentagon confirmed that more ships and thousands of marines are moving into the region. The move comes as the Venezuelan president warned any strike would “stain President Trump’s hands with blood.”
The Trump administration said the goal of the deployment is to prevent cartels from moving fentanyl and cocaine into the U.S. and American communities.
Maduro wanted in the US
The tension comes as the U.S. works to arrest Maduro. The administration doubled the reward for Maduro’s capture to $50 million, accusing him of running his own cartel.
Attorney General Pam Pondi announced the move in August. She called him “one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world and a threat to our national security.”
There’s been a reward for Maduro’s arrest since Trump’s first term, when he indicted Maduro on narcoterrorism and other drug charges. Back in 2020, he pledged a $15 million bounty. The Biden administration raised that number to $25 million.
The U.S. Department of Justice accused Maduro and members of his government of working with international drug traffickers. These traffickers are reportedly used to smuggle cocaine into the U.S.
