Introduction: The “Anti-Drug” Cover Story
In late 2025, the United States deployed an unprecedented naval force, currently involving at least 8 U.S. warships, a nuclear-powered submarine, fighter jets, and approximately 10,000 military personnel, in the southern Caribbean, officially aiming to target drug-smuggling routes near Venezuela. While U.S. officials brand this as part of a counternarcotics effort, regional and independent experts argue that the scale and scope point far more convincingly to a regime-change operation aimed at President Nicolás Maduro and Venezuela’s strategic oil reserves.
The vast majority of cocaine and fentanyl entering the U.S. is trafficked overland from Mexico and the Pacific, while Caribbean routes, many involving shipments from Venezuela, historically account for less, but the uptick in Navy deployments is unprecedented; as many as 10 major U.S. Navy vessels have been detailed to the southern Caribbean in September and October 2025, compared to the typical 2–3 ships.
Introduction: The “Anti-Drug” Cover Story
In late 2025, the United States deployed an unprecedented naval force, currently involving at least 8 U.S. warships, a nuclear-powered submarine, fighter jets, and approximately 10,000 military personnel, in the southern Caribbean, officially aiming to target drug-smuggling routes near Venezuela. While U.S. officials brand this as part of a counternarcotics effort, regional and independent experts argue that the scale and scope point far more convincingly to a regime-change operation aimed at President Nicolás Maduro and Venezuela’s strategic oil reserves.
The vast majority of cocaine and fentanyl entering the U.S. is trafficked overland from Mexico and the Pacific, while Caribbean routes, many involving shipments from Venezuela, historically account for less, but the uptick in Navy deployments is unprecedented; as many as 10 major U.S. Navy vessels have been detailed to the southern Caribbean in September and October 2025, compared to the typical 2–3 ships.
Introduction: The “Anti-Drug” Cover Story
In late 2025, the United States deployed an unprecedented naval force, currently involving at least 8 U.S. warships, a nuclear-powered submarine, fighter jets, and approximately 10,000 military personnel, in the southern Caribbean, officially aiming to target drug-smuggling routes near Venezuela. While U.S. officials brand this as part of a counternarcotics effort, regional and independent experts argue that the scale and scope point far more convincingly to a regime-change operation aimed at President Nicolás Maduro and Venezuela’s strategic oil reserves.
The vast majority of cocaine and fentanyl entering the U.S. is trafficked overland from Mexico and the Pacific, while Caribbean routes, many involving shipments from Venezuela, historically account for less, but the uptick in Navy deployments is unprecedented; as many as 10 major U.S. Navy vessels have been detailed to the southern Caribbean in September and October 2025, compared to the typical 2–3 ships.
Introduction: The “Anti-Drug” Cover Story
In late 2025, the United States deployed an unprecedented naval force, currently involving at least 8 U.S. warships, a nuclear-powered submarine, fighter jets, and approximately 10,000 military personnel, in the southern Caribbean, officially aiming to target drug-smuggling routes near Venezuela. While U.S. officials brand this as part of a counternarcotics effort, regional and independent experts argue that the scale and scope point far more convincingly to a regime-change operation aimed at President Nicolás Maduro and Venezuela’s strategic oil reserves.
The vast majority of cocaine and fentanyl entering the U.S. is trafficked overland from Mexico and the Pacific, while Caribbean routes, many involving shipments from Venezuela, historically account for less, but the uptick in Navy deployments is unprecedented; as many as 10 major U.S. Navy vessels have been detailed to the southern Caribbean in September and October 2025, compared to the typical 2–3 ships.
Introduction: The “Anti-Drug” Cover Story
In late 2025, the United States deployed an unprecedented naval force, currently involving at least 8 U.S. warships, a nuclear-powered submarine, fighter jets, and approximately 10,000 military personnel, in the southern Caribbean, officially aiming to target drug-smuggling routes near Venezuela. While U.S. officials brand this as part of a counternarcotics effort, regional and independent experts argue that the scale and scope point far more convincingly to a regime-change operation aimed at President Nicolás Maduro and Venezuela’s strategic oil reserves.
The vast majority of cocaine and fentanyl entering the U.S. is trafficked overland from Mexico and the Pacific, while Caribbean routes, many involving shipments from Venezuela, historically account for less, but the uptick in Navy deployments is unprecedented; as many as 10 major U.S. Navy vessels have been detailed to the southern Caribbean in September and October 2025, compared to the typical 2–3 ships.
Introduction: The “Anti-Drug” Cover Story
In late 2025, the United States deployed an unprecedented naval force, currently involving at least 8 U.S. warships, a nuclear-powered submarine, fighter jets, and approximately 10,000 military personnel, in the southern Caribbean, officially aiming to target drug-smuggling routes near Venezuela. While U.S. officials brand this as part of a counternarcotics effort, regional and independent experts argue that the scale and scope point far more convincingly to a regime-change operation aimed at President Nicolás Maduro and Venezuela’s strategic oil reserves.
The vast majority of cocaine and fentanyl entering the U.S. is trafficked overland from Mexico and the Pacific, while Caribbean routes, many involving shipments from Venezuela, historically account for less, but the uptick in Navy deployments is unprecedented; as many as 10 major U.S. Navy vessels have been detailed to the southern Caribbean in September and October 2025, compared to the typical 2–3 ships.
Introduction: The “Anti-Drug” Cover Story
In late 2025, the United States deployed an unprecedented naval force, currently involving at least 8 U.S. warships, a nuclear-powered submarine, fighter jets, and approximately 10,000 military personnel, in the southern Caribbean, officially aiming to target drug-smuggling routes near Venezuela. While U.S. officials brand this as part of a counternarcotics effort, regional and independent experts argue that the scale and scope point far more convincingly to a regime-change operation aimed at President Nicolás Maduro and Venezuela’s strategic oil reserves.
The vast majority of cocaine and fentanyl entering the U.S. is trafficked overland from Mexico and the Pacific, while Caribbean routes, many involving shipments from Venezuela, historically account for less, but the uptick in Navy deployments is unprecedented; as many as 10 major U.S. Navy vessels have been detailed to the southern Caribbean in September and October 2025, compared to the typical 2–3 ships.
Introduction: The “Anti-Drug” Cover Story
In late 2025, the United States deployed an unprecedented naval force, currently involving at least 8 U.S. warships, a nuclear-powered submarine, fighter jets, and approximately 10,000 military personnel, in the southern Caribbean, officially aiming to target drug-smuggling routes near Venezuela. While U.S. officials brand this as part of a counternarcotics effort, regional and independent experts argue that the scale and scope point far more convincingly to a regime-change operation aimed at President Nicolás Maduro and Venezuela’s strategic oil reserves.
The vast majority of cocaine and fentanyl entering the U.S. is trafficked overland from Mexico and the Pacific, while Caribbean routes, many involving shipments from Venezuela, historically account for less, but the uptick in Navy deployments is unprecedented; as many as 10 major U.S. Navy vessels have been detailed to the southern Caribbean in September and October 2025, compared to the typical 2–3 ships.
Introduction: The “Anti-Drug” Cover Story
In late 2025, the United States deployed an unprecedented naval force, currently involving at least 8 U.S. warships, a nuclear-powered submarine, fighter jets, and approximately 10,000 military personnel, in the southern Caribbean, officially aiming to target drug-smuggling routes near Venezuela. While U.S. officials brand this as part of a counternarcotics effort, regional and independent experts argue that the scale and scope point far more convincingly to a regime-change operation aimed at President Nicolás Maduro and Venezuela’s strategic oil reserves.
The vast majority of cocaine and fentanyl entering the U.S. is trafficked overland from Mexico and the Pacific, while Caribbean routes, many involving shipments from Venezuela, historically account for less, but the uptick in Navy deployments is unprecedented; as many as 10 major U.S. Navy vessels have been detailed to the southern Caribbean in September and October 2025, compared to the typical 2–3 ships.