Venezuela Deploys Military to Combat Drug Trafficking Amid US Tensions
Venezuela announced military deployments to the Caribbean to fight drug trafficking as US relations remain tense. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López detailed an operation involving 15,000 armed forces personnel in response to US warships aimed at combating Latin American drug cartels.
- Country:
- Venezuela
In a decisive move to tackle escalating drug trafficking, Venezuela will dispatch military vessels to the Caribbean Sea, as announced by Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López on Tuesday. This deployment follows rising tensions with the US after its announcement to send three warships to the region.
Padrino detailed that these vessels will patrol both the Gulf of Venezuela and the nation's territorial waters in the Caribbean. An impressive force of 15,000 military personnel will engage in both land and sea operations to combat armed, terrorist, and drug-trafficking groups at the Colombian border.
The US disclosed its strategy of stationing three guided-missile destroyers near Venezuela to counteract Latin American drug cartels. In response, Venezuela urged its citizens to join volunteer militias. President Nicolás Maduro, defending his nation, contrasted Venezuela with Colombia, asserting it remains free of coca leaf and cocaine production.
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