Caracas (EFE).- Venezuela announced on Tuesday the deployment of larger warships in Caribbean territorial waters to combat drug trafficking, while simultaneously denouncing at the United Nations what it called “hostile actions” by the United States after Washington sent military vessels to the region.
Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López said the move is part of an expanded “Operation Catatumbo Lightning,” which includes troops, drones, and naval patrols along border areas shared with Colombia.
“We will have an important deployment with drones, citizen attention points, river patrols with the Marine Infantry, naval patrols in Lake Maracaibo and the Gulf of Venezuela, and larger ships in our territorial waters to the north,” Padrino said in a video message on Instagram.
The defense chief confirmed that around 15,000 troops will be deployed to reinforce surveillance along 851 kilometers (528.7 miles) of the 2,219-kilometer (1,378.8-mile) border with Colombia.
He added that the plan responds to the establishment of a binational “zone of development and peace” with Bogotá.
“This is a rapid planning process. We know the territory, the geographical conditions, and the characteristics of terrorist, armed, and drug trafficking groups operating on the border that seek to enter Venezuelan territory,” Padrino stated.
Caracas rejects US accusations
The Venezuelan government also pushed back against recent marks by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which accused Caracas of cooperating with Colombian guerrilla groups in drug trafficking operations.
Padrino denied those claims, asserting that “there are no camps of any kind belonging to terrorist groups” in Venezuelan territory.
The comments come after the White House confirmed the presence of three US Navy ships in the Caribbean, including the USS Lake Erie, a missile cruiser, and the USS Newport News, a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine, expected to arrive near Venezuelan waters early next week.
Venezuela condemns US naval deployment at UN
At the UN, Venezuela’s mission filed a formal complaint, warning of an “escalation of hostile actions and threats” by the US.
The delegation described the arrival of the USS Newport News as a “clear act of intimidation” and a “serious threat to regional peace and security,” citing the 1967 Treaty of Tlatelolco, which established Latin America and the Caribbean as a nuclear weapons-free zone.
“Deploying a nuclear-powered submarine of offensive character without transparency about its load or rules of engagement violates the spirit of the treaty,” Venezuela wrote in its letter.
The mission called for “an immediate halt” to the US military buildup and urged the international community to uphold the Caribbean as a “Zone of Peace.”
Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the operation, saying the US is “prepared to use all its power” to combat drug trafficking in the region.
She reiterated that Washington does not recognize Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate leader and reminded that the Venezuelan President faces drug trafficking charges in the US.
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