US Ramps Up Pressure on Maduro: Warships Deployed as Venezuela Faces Mounting Sanctions

The United States has significantly increased its pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, with the Trump administration doubling the reward for information leading to his capture and deploying warships within striking distance of the South American nation. This intensified campaign follows a reported ultimatum delivered to Maduro by President Trump on November 21, urging him to depart Venezuela.

The escalating tensions come as dozens have been killed in recent attacks on boats suspected of transporting drugs from Venezuela. Millenium TV understands that the US has intensified its counternarcotics operations in the Caribbean, citing a need to combat the flow of illicit substances into the country.

Maduro, a former bus driver and union leader, rose to power under the late President Hugo Chávez and assumed the presidency in 2013. His United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) has, over the past 26 years, consolidated control over key national institutions, including the National Assembly, much of the judiciary, and the electoral council. The 2024 presidential election saw the electoral council declare Maduro the winner, a result disputed by the opposition, who presented vote tallies suggesting their candidate, Edmundo González, had won overwhelmingly. The United States and numerous other nations have deemed the election illegitimate, recognizing González as the rightful “president-elect.” However, with firm control over the military, police, and legislature, Maduro has maintained power, while González has reportedly gone into exile fearing arrest.

President Trump’s focus on Venezuela is largely driven by his administration’s priority on curbing immigration and combating drug trafficking. The US president attributes the arrival of a substantial number of Venezuelan migrants to Maduro’s leadership, alleging, without providing specific evidence, that Maduro has been “emptying his prisons and insane asylums” and “forcing” inmates to migrate to the United States. Since 2013, nearly eight million Venezuelans are estimated to have fled the nation’s deepening economic crisis and political repression. Furthermore, the Trump administration has prioritized fighting the influx of fentanyl and cocaine into the US, designating two Venezuelan criminal groups—Tren de Aragua and Cartel de los Soles—as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. President Trump has controversially alleged that Maduro himself leads the latter group.

Maduro has vehemently denied any involvement in drug cartels, accusing the US of using its “war on drugs” as a pretext to depose him and seize Venezuela’s extensive oil reserves. Analysts suggest that the “Cartel de los Soles” is not a singular hierarchical organization but rather a descriptive term for corrupt Venezuelan officials who facilitate cocaine transit through the country.

The US has deployed approximately 15,000 troops, along with a formidable array of aircraft carriers, guided-missile destroyers, and amphibious assault ships, to the Caribbean. This deployment, the largest since the 1989 invasion of Panama, is officially aimed at disrupting the flow of fentanyl and cocaine into the US. Since early September, US forces have conducted over 20 strikes in international waters against vessels suspected of carrying drugs, resulting in more than 80 fatalities. The Trump administration asserts it is engaged in a non-international armed conflict with alleged drug traffickers, whom it accuses of waging irregular warfare against the US, and has labeled those on board as “narco terrorists.” However, legal experts have raised concerns, stating that this designation does not transform them into lawful military targets, and one former chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court described the US military campaign as a planned, systematic attack against civilians during peacetime. The White House, in response, stated that President Trump acted within the laws of armed conflict to protect the US from cartels attempting to “bring poison to our shores… destroying American lives.”

Counter-narcotics experts point out that Venezuela is considered a relatively minor player in global drug trafficking, primarily serving as a transit country for drugs produced elsewhere. Neighboring Colombia remains the world’s largest producer of cocaine, with the majority trafficked to the US via other routes, predominantly the Pacific, not through Venezuela. A 2020 US Drug Enforcement report indicated that nearly three-quarters of cocaine reaching the US is trafficked via the Pacific, with only a small percentage coming through fast boats in the Caribbean. While President Trump told military leaders in September that targeted boats were “stacked up with bags of white powder that’s mostly fentanyl and other drugs,” fentanyl is largely produced in Mexico and primarily reaches the US via its southern land border.

Millenium TV has learned that President Trump confirmed a phone conversation with Maduro on November 21. While the details of the call were not disclosed by the White House, the alleged ultimatum for Maduro to leave Venezuela within a week, offering safe passage for him and his family, was reportedly rejected. One day after the alleged deadline, the US declared the airspace around Venezuela closed. President Trump has previously threatened “by land” action against Venezuelan drug traffickers without specifying how such an operation would unfold. The president’s press secretary has not ruled out the deployment of US troops on the ground in Venezuela, stating that “there’s options at the president’s disposal that are on the table.” Military analysts have observed for weeks that the US deployment in the Caribbean appears significantly larger than typically required for a standard counternarcotics operation, prompting speculation about potential broader objectives.