Tensions between the United States and Venezuela are currently at a peak. The deployment of US warships and thousands of soldiers in the southern Caribbean Sea has further escalated the situation. The US claims this is due to drug trafficking and serious accusations against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The Trump administration has accused Maduro of running a drug cartel, increasing the reward for his arrest to $50 million.
While the US has denied any plans to attack Venezuela, relations between the two countries have been strained for a long time. Furthermore, the US has not recognized Maduro’s electoral victories in 2018 and 2024. However, international figures raise questions about the claims of drug cartels in Venezuela, and suspicions are deepening that drugs are merely a pretext.
Reports from the United Nations indicate that the largest centers for coca cultivation and cocaine production are Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. More than two-thirds of the global cocaine comes from Colombia alone. Venezuela, on the other hand, is neither a producer nor a major transit route.
Drug seizure statistics also tell the same story. More drugs are caught in countries like Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama, while Venezuela’s share is less than 2 percent of the total seizures.
The US asserts that approximately 250 tons of cocaine pass through Venezuela annually. This amount is small compared to global production (3,700 tons), but it cannot be completely ignored. The question is, if the real threat is so great, why isn’t military pressure being increased on the countries where the drugs are actually produced?
The Maduro government claims it is taking strict action against drugs. In recent years, it has seized hundreds of boats and planes used in trafficking. However, these claims have not been independently confirmed internationally.
It is also true that people connected to Maduro’s family have been found guilty of drug trafficking in US courts. This certainly indicates the possibility of corruption and collusion at a high level.
Drug trafficking has some connection to Venezuela, but available international figures indicate that the country is not a major player in the global trade. So, the question arises: why has the US made Venezuela the center of military pressure? One reason being suggested is to stage a coup against the Maduro government in Venezuela. President Maduro himself alleges that the US is conspiring to change power in Venezuela by exerting military pressure.
This is not the first time in Latin America that the US has been accused of attempting to overthrow a government. In the second half of the twentieth century, Washington carried out secret and open military operations from Chile to Brazil and from Guatemala to Grenada, resulting in coups against several governments.
