The American war on drug trafficking may extend into Venezuela.
CNN, citing three different US officials, reports that President Donald Trump is planning to attack cocaine gang locations and drug trafficking routes in the country led by Nicolas Maduro.
Despite the reports, sources clarify that Trump has not yet made a decision on whether to implement those plans, while a diplomatic approach has not yet been ruled out. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime emphasizes that Venezuela is not a significant cocaine producing country.
The US military has been targeting suspected drug ships in the Caribbean for weeks. The latest attack killed six people and was the tenth vessel to be blown up. Meanwhile, the US administration has repeatedly accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of being directly involved in drug trafficking.
But the UN says most of the main ingredient in cocaine comes from Colombia, Peru and Bolivia. However, Trump has sent a strike group of warships to the Caribbean as he ratchets up pressure on Venezuela. The Pentagon says the aim is “to disrupt transnational criminal organizations and combat narco-terrorism.”
The Gerald R Ford strike group is near Croatia, over 5,000 miles from the Caribbean. It will take days to get ready for combat, and during its voyage it will pass near Albania.