Trump stated during a dinner at the Kennedy Center, “We will begin the same operation on land, because we know every road, we know every house, and we know where they live… We know everything about them.” He noted that the amount of drugs entering the United States by sea has decreased by 94%, adding, “I’m trying to figure out who the other 6% are.”
Trump told reporters from the White House a few days ago that the United States “will very soon start implementing that on land as well,” stressing that the relevant authorities are aware of the “complete” production and assembly sites of drugs.
Washington links its military presence in the Caribbean region to combating drug smuggling. During the past months of September and October, US forces repeatedly used their naval units to destroy boats allegedly carrying drugs off the coast of Venezuela.
In late September, NBC reported that the US military was considering options for targeting drug dealers inside Venezuela. On November 3, Trump said that “Maduro’s days are numbered,” while at the same time stressing that the United States does not intend to wage war on the country.
For its part, Caracas described these measures as a “provocation” aimed at destabilizing the region, and a violation of international agreements stipulating that the Caribbean region should be a demilitarized zone free of nuclear weapons.
In this context, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova affirmed that her country is in contact with the Venezuelan leadership amid escalating tensions in the Caribbean region, and that it is ready to fulfill any requests made by Caracas.
