US sends destroyers toward Venezuela as Trump intensifies pressure on drug cartels

The United States is deploying three Aegis guided-missile destroyers to waters off Venezuela as part of President Donald Trump’s renewed campaign to crack down on Latin American drug cartels, according to a U.S. official familiar with the planning, cited by American media.

The USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham and USS Sampson are expected to arrive in the area soon, the official said on August 19, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly. 

A Defence Department official separately confirmed that the vessels have been tasked to support counter-narcotics operations in the region and will remain deployed “over the course of several months.”

The move comes as Trump presses for broader use of the U.S. military to target cartels he accuses of driving the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs into American communities, fueling violence in several U.S. cities. He has also been urging Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to take a tougher line against organised crime than her predecessor, pushing her government to intensify operations against Mexican cartels. Sheinbaum, however, has firmly rejected the idea of U.S. military involvement inside Mexico, citing her country’s sovereignty.

In February, Trump designated Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, the MS-13 gang in El Salvador, and six Mexico-based groups as foreign terrorist organisations. The designation, usually reserved for extremist groups such as al-Qaida or the Islamic State that employ political violence, has rarely been applied to criminal networks. But the Trump administration argues that the transnational operations of these groups — spanning drug trafficking, migrant smuggling, and violent territorial expansion — justify the classification.

Earlier this month, Washington doubled to $50 million the reward for the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, accusing him of being one of the world’s most prominent narco-traffickers and of collaborating with cartels to send fentanyl-laced cocaine into the United States. Maduro was first indicted in 2020, during Trump’s initial presidency, on federal charges of narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine. At that time, the reward for his arrest stood at $15 million.

The Venezuelan government did not issue a direct response to the deployment of U.S. warships. However, Foreign Minister Yvan Gil, in a statement on August 19, dismissed Washington’s accusations.

“Washington’s accusing Venezuela of drug trafficking reveals its lack of credibility and the failure of its policies in the region,” Gil declared. “While Washington threatens, Venezuela steadily advances in peace and sovereignty, demonstrating that true effectiveness against crime is achieved by respecting the independence of its peoples. Every aggressive statement confirms the inability of imperialism to subdue a free and sovereign people.”

Maduro, speaking at a public event in Caracas, said the United States had escalated its threats against his country. Without referring specifically to the U.S. naval deployment, he announced plans to mobilise more than 4.5 million members of Venezuela’s civilian militias nationwide. These militias, created by the late President Hugo Chávez, are composed of volunteers who support the armed forces in defending the country against both external and internal threats.

“The empire has gone mad and has renewed its threats to Venezuela’s peace and tranquillity,” Maduro said.

By Tamilla Hasanova