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The United States has significantly increased its military presence in the Caribbean, marking the largest deployment of warships and troops since the Cold War era. This escalation comes amidst soaring tensions with Venezuela, as Washington accuses President Nicolás Maduro and his administration of involvement in international drug trafficking. The current situation draws parallels with the 1989 US invasion of Panama, which targeted then-President Manuel Noriega on similar drug-related charges.
The Trump administration asserts that its operations in the Caribbean target “narco-terrorism,” specifically linking alleged drug boats hit by air strikes to the Venezuelan leadership. This strategic shift frames drug trafficking as a direct national security threat, justifying military intervention under the legal basis of a “non-international armed conflict” against drug cartels.
Washington’s primary accusation against President Maduro is that he heads the “Cartel of the Suns,” a purported network comprising current and former high-ranking Venezuelan military officials engaged in illicit drug trade. This claim forms a central plank of the US government’s justification for its robust actions and sanctions against Caracas.
However, the existence and nature of the “Cartel of the Suns” remain a point of contention among drug war analysts. Many question whether it functions as a formal criminal enterprise or merely represents a loose alliance of corrupt officials profiting from drug and resource smuggling through Venezuelan ports. Venezuelan authorities, including Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, vehemently deny its existence, describing it as an “imperialist invention” designed to destabilize the government.
Despite these denials, evidence of drug trafficking within President Maduro’s extended family has surfaced. In 2015, two of Maduro’s nephews by marriage, Francisco Flores de Freitas and Efrain Antonio Campo Flores, were arrested in a US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sting operation in Haiti. They were subsequently convicted in the US for attempting to smuggle 800kg of cocaine into the country, serving several years in prison before a 2022 prisoner swap.
The US Treasury Department recently imposed fresh sanctions on these two individuals, along with a third nephew, Carlos Erik Malpica Flores. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that Nicolás Maduro and his “criminal associates” are “flooding the United States with drugs,” reaffirming Washington’s commitment to holding the regime and its network accountable for alleged crimes.
This assertive stance, employing terms like “circle of cronies” and “narco-kleptocracy” – reminiscent of rhetoric used against Noriega’s government in the 1980s – underscores a consistent US strategy. The broader legal definition of “narco-terrorism,” encompassing the involvement of terrorist organizations and insurgent groups in drug trafficking, provides the framework for current US military engagements.
Controversy has emerged regarding the legality of specific US military actions, particularly a second strike on an alleged drug boat on September 2, which resulted in additional fatalities among survivors of an initial strike. While the Trump administration staunchly defends its actions as lawful under the rules of engagement and the law of armed conflict, calls for public release of video footage and legal advice surrounding the incident persist.
The heightened tensions are further exacerbated by other incidents, including the recent seizure by US forces of a tanker carrying Venezuelan crude oil. President Trump has indicated a comprehensive strategy, suggesting that after controlling air and sea around Venezuela, control of land remains the final step. This rhetoric fuels concerns about potential military intervention.
Analyzing the lessons from the 1989 Panama invasion, where the killing of a US Marine lieutenant precipitated a full-scale invasion, highlights the volatile nature of the current stand-off. Despite the differences in conventional warfare, the combustible situation surrounding Venezuela carries a similar potential for a single incident to trigger a much larger and more devastating conflict, making a negotiated solution increasingly challenging to achieve.
