President Donald Trump is committed to using all methods at his disposal to stop the flow of drugs coming into the U.S. from countries such as Venezuela, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday.
Tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela have risen after the U.S. deployed three Navy guided-missile destroyers and more than 4,000 troops to the southern Caribbean and nearby waters to address threats from Latin American drug cartels.
Although U.S. Coast Guard and Navy ships regularly operate in the region, this buildup is significantly larger than usual deployments.
Leavitt was asked in Thursday’s press briefing whether the buildup means the U.S. is considering military action against Venezuela.
The Trump administration has repeatedly labeled the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as a narco-terrorist organization. The president has previously suggested using the military to strike at drug cartels in Mexico.
“I won’t get ahead of the president with respect to any military action or questions about that ever,” Leavitt said in a briefing that aired live on Newsmax and the Newsmax2 free online streaming platform.
“But what I will tell you is that many Caribbean nations and many nations in the region have applauded the administration’s counter-drug operations and efforts, and the president is prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice,” she said.
The U.S. has accused Maduro of leading the Cártel de los Soles and collaborating with groups such as Tren de Aragua and Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel to flood the U.S. with illicit drugs, including fentanyl-laced cocaine.
Maduro and 14 others were indicted in 2020 on charges of narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine. A reward for his arrest was increased to $50 million earlier this month.
“And as I’ve said from this podium before, the Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela,” Leavitt said. “It is a narco-terror cartel. Maduro is not a legitimate president. He is a fugitive head of this drug cartel.
“He has been indicted in the United States for trafficking drugs into our country. And it is the utmost responsibility of this president and this administration to prevent the illicit flow of drugs into our country and to protect our citizens from those deadly poisons.”
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