Conflict with Venezuela before escalation
Trump government: “fatal blow” against drug ship
Updated on 03.09.2025 – 9:17 a.m.Reading time: 2 min.
There has been a stricter tone between Washington and Caracas for months. Now the conflict could escalate.
According to Foreign Minister Marco Rubio, the United States has carried out a “fatal blow” against a drug loaded with drugs that had expired from Venezuela. The ship has operated an organization known for drug terrorism, he wrote on the X.
Shortly before, US President Donald Trump had said at a press conference without concrete details that the United States had switched off a boat with drugs on board.
Most recently, the conflict between the two countries had intensified. According to media reports, the United States had relocated several warships in front of the Venezuelan Caribbean coast in recent weeks in order to intercept drug smugglers there.
In addition, the US government doubled the reward for information that leads to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to up to $ 50 million (around $ 43 million). The US judiciary accuses him of being involved in international drug trafficking.
Maduro had described the US military presence in the Caribbean as the “biggest threat” in a century. “Venezuela faces the greatest threat that our continent has experienced in the past 100 years,” he said on Monday at a press conference in front of foreign correspondents. “Eight warships with 1,200 rockets and a nuclear submarine aim on Venezuela. It is an extravagant threat. Not justifying, immoral and absolutely criminal,” he said. In the event of an attack by the United States, he threatened with armed resistance.
Maduro had previously announced that they wanted to recruit additional militia officers. The militia currently has around 4.5 million members. In addition to reservists, it also includes numerous members of the socialist government party, employees of state companies and pensioners. Security experts doubt the militia military power.
