US and region begins to align against Venezuelan drug threat
Guyana stands at the frontline of regional cooperation as the United States broadens its fight against international drug trafficking, naming the Cartel de los Soles as a key target tied to the Maduro regime in Venezuela.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that for the first time in decades, Washington is “on the offensive” against these drug networks and is building an international coalition to confront what he called a regional scourge. Rubio noted the cooperation of several countries, including Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and Ecuador, which have expressed interest in a collaboration against drug trafficking. Meanwhile, Argentina has placed the Cartel de los Soles in its Public Registry of Terrorism and Their Financing, pointing to a broader regional alignment against the organization.
The cartel is accused of moving drugs toward the U.S. market and posing a serious national security threat to the United States. In this regard, the U.S. has deployed ships to deter narcotics operations by these networks.
In response, Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro vowed to mobilize a civilian militia alongside the armed forces to counter perceived U.S. threats.
