US warships off Venezuela: Navy vessels head to Caribbean in Trump’s push against cartels

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The United States is sending an amphibious squadron to the southern Caribbean as part of President Donald Trump’s effort to tackle drug cartels in Latin America, with three warships expected to reach waters off Venezuela by the weekend.According to news agency Reuters, the deployment includes the USS San Antonio, USS Iwo Jima and USS Fort Lauderdale, carrying about 4,500 service members, of whom 2,200 are Marines. The squadron could arrive off Venezuela as early as Sunday, two sources briefed on the plans were quoted as saying by Reuters, though the Pentagon has not disclosed the specific mission.The move comes as the Trump administration increases pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Washington has accused him of running the Cartel de los Soles, or “Cartel of the Suns,” and last month doubled its reward for his arrest to $50 million. As per news agency AFP, the US treasury has also designated the cartel, along with Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua and Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, as foreign terrorist organisations.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump is prepared to use “every element of American power” to stop drugs from entering the United States. “Maduro, it is the view of this administration, is not a legitimate president; he is a fugitive head of this cartel who has been indicted in the United States for trafficking drugs into this country,” she said.In Caracas, Maduro condemned the US moves as “threats” and announced the mobilisation of 4.5 million militia members across Venezuela. “This week, I will activate a special plan with more than 4.5 million militiamen to ensure coverage of the entire national territory,” he said in a televised address.According to Al Jazeera, his government has also temporarily banned drone operations, a signal he may be preparing for a possible aerial attack.The deployment forms part of Trump’s broader narcotics strategy. As per news agency AP, the administration has sought to use the US military to counter cartels blamed for fentanyl and cocaine trafficking, as well as violence in American cities. In February, Trump extended terrorist designations to Latin American groups, including MS-13 in El Salvador and several Mexican organisations.Venezuela’s foreign minister Yván Gil rejected Washington’s accusations, saying they expose “its lack of credibility and the failure of its policies in the region.”Analysts and regional observers cited by Al Jazeera said that while the immediate focus is on Venezuela, many fear Trump’s hard-line approach could extend to other Latin American countries. “They say today it may be Venezuela, tomorrow it could be any one of them,” Al-Jazeera reported.