The U.S. is deploying three Aegis-equipped Navy destroyers near Venezuela as part of President Donald Trump’s initiative to combat Latin American drug cartels, a defense official told the Associated Press Tuesday.
According to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham, and USS Sampson are expected to arrive in the region soon. A Defense Department official confirmed the deployment in support of counternarcotics operations, saying it would continue “over the course of several months.”
The deployment follows the Trump administration’s decision to double the reward for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s arrest to $50 million, accusing him of being “one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world.”
At Tuesday’s press briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: “The president is prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice. The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government, it is a narco terror cartel.”
In response, Maduro denounced the U.S. deployment as “bizarre” and announced plans to mobilize 4.5 million militia members nationwide. “This week, I will activate a special plan with more than 4.5 million militiamen to ensure coverage of the entire national territory — militias that are prepared, activated and armed,” he said on state television.
Official figures put the Venezuelan militia, created by Maduro’s predecessor Hugo Chávez, at about 5 million members, though independent estimates suggest the real number is smaller.
Washington, which does not recognize Maduro’s past two election victories, accuses him of leading a cocaine-trafficking network known as the Cartel de los Soles. The Trump administration imposed sanctions on the group and on Maduro’s government last month.
Earlier this month, Trump ordered the military to step up operations against Latin American drug cartels, directing the deployment of P-8 reconnaissance planes, a warship, and an attack submarine to the region as part of the crackdown.
