US Increases Pressure on Venezuela Amid Drug Trafficking and Political Turmoil
The United States has intensified its campaign against Venezuela following a series of strikes targeting drug-carrying vessels and efforts to capture President Nicolás Maduro. President Donald Trump stated that the US will oversee a "safe, proper, and judicious transition" after Maduro's capture, who was reportedly flown out of Venezuela with his wife and has been indicted on drug charges in New York.
The US government accuses Maduro's administration of drug trafficking and facilitating a large migrant exodus; approximately eight million Venezuelans have fled since 2013. In response, Trump designated the groups Tren de Aragua and Cartel de los Soles as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, although the latter is considered more a label for corrupt officials rather than a formal cartel, with Maduro allegedly at its helm.
Trump also doubled the reward for information leading to Maduro's capture and announced intentions to designate Maduro's government as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). Since September, the US has conducted over 30 strikes on drug-carrying vessels, resulting in more than 110 fatalities; the initial attack on September 2 involved two strikes. The White House states these actions comply with laws of armed conflict, asserting a non-international armed conflict with drug traffickers.
The CIA has been authorized to undertake covert operations in Venezuela, including a land strike on December 24 targeting a dock area. Approximately 15,000 US troops, along with a significant naval force including the USS Gerald Ford, have been deployed in the Caribbean region. On December 10, the US seized an oil tanker linked to sanctioned Venezuelan and Iranian oil, an act Venezuela has described as piracy; two additional tankers have been targeted since.
Venezuela possesses the world's largest proven crude oil reserves and exports about 900,000 barrels per day, with China as its largest buyer. According to 2023 data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), Venezuela's share of the global oil market amounts to roughly 0.8%.
