Venezuela Deploys 15,000 Troops to Colombian Border as US Sends Warships to Caribbean

Venezuela has announced the deployment of 15,000 troops to its border with Colombia in a move officials say is aimed at fighting drug trafficking, even as the United States sends additional navy ships to the southern Caribbean.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello confirmed on Monday that soldiers, aircraft, drones and river patrols will reinforce security in Zulia and Tachira states.

“Here, we do fight drug trafficking; here, we do fight drug cartels on all fronts,” Cabello said, noting that Venezuelan authorities had already seized 53 tonnes of drugs so far this year.

He also called on Colombia to take similar steps “to ensure peace along the entire axis”.

The troop deployment comes amid growing US pressure on Caracas. The Trump administration last week doubled its reward for the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to $50 million, accusing him of involvement in cocaine trafficking.

Washington has also raised the bounty for Cabello to $25 million, claiming he and Maduro have ties to the Cartel de los Soles, which US authorities have designated a terrorist organisation.

Maduro has rejected the allegations, accusing Washington of trying to orchestrate regime change.

“I am confident that we will overcome this test … this imperialist threat to the peace of the continent and to our country,” he said on Monday.

Meanwhile, the USS Lake Erie, a guided missile cruiser, and the USS Newport News, a nuclear-powered fast attack submarine, are expected to arrive in the Caribbean by early next week, according to Reuters.

They will join an amphibious squadron already positioned off Venezuela’s coast, including the USS San Antonio, USS Iwo Jima and USS Fort Lauderdale, carrying about 4,500 service members, among them 2,200 Marines.

President Trump has made the fight against Latin American drug cartels a centerpiece of his policy, designating Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel and Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua as global terrorist groups.