The American President, Donald Trumpassured that his country had recently dismantled a “major facility” in Venezuela, which would be the first public indication of a possible ground attack on a facility linked to drug trafficking. The statement arose from a radio interview that initially went almost unnoticed and later gained relevance when it was quoted by the New York Times. From Caracas, Nicolás Maduro’s government avoided commenting on the issue.
A revelation that became public days later
Trump made the remark last Friday during a conversation with John Catsimatidis, a Republican businessman and owner of New York station WABC. Without specifying the location or method used, he described the operation as a “hard” strike against a facility from which he believed ships linked to the drug trade were sailing.
“They have a large factory or facility where the boats come from. We took it down two nights ago” the president said, implying an attack on Christmas Eve as part of the U.S. offensive against drug trafficking in the Caribbean and Pacific.
Official silence and lack of confirmation
American officials interviewed by The New York Times said Trump was referring to a drug trafficking facility in Venezuela, but declined to provide further details. Both the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the White House declined to comment officially.
On the Venezuelan side There was no public confirmation or denial. Neither Nicolás Maduro nor Diosdado Cabello referred to the statements, and there were no official reports of a US attack on Venezuelan territory.
If the president’s version is confirmed, it would be this first known ground attack since the United States intensified its military pressure campaign against the Chavista regime.
Speculation and an episode under the microscope
Trump’s comments led to speculation among analysts and on social networks that suggested a possible coincidence with a December 24 incident in Zulia state. On that day, an explosion followed by a fire occurred at the facilities of a chemical company in the industrial area of San Francisco, near Maracaibo.
Videos broadcast on digital platforms showed intense flames, secondary explosions and a column of smoke visible several kilometers away. The company involved attributed the incident to a “work accident” and assured that there were no casualties, but suspended operations in the affected camp.
Washington’s pressure strategy
Trump has been expecting one for weeks Escalation of actions against Venezuela. In October he publicly admitted that he had entrusted the CIA with the planning covert operations within the South American country, without specifying its scope. Analysts claim that these maneuvers could involve sabotage or psychological pressure measures aimed at weakening the Maduro government.
Washington accuses the Venezuelan president of leading a narco-terrorist organization called the Cartel of the Suns. Although Venezuela is not considered a major drug producer, it is considered an important transit area, particularly for cocaine from Colombia.
Maduro avoids direct confrontations
This Sunday, Maduro spoke at length on state television alongside Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, without referring to the statements from Washington. He emphasized this during an end-of-year greeting to the armed forces “highest loyalty” of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces on the Bolivarian project and reiterated that the country is ready to defend its sovereignty.
Since September, the United States has deployed military forces in the Caribbean and Pacific with the stated aim of combating drug trafficking. According to official figures, there were at least 29 attacks on ships suspected of carrying drugs, killing 105 people. Critics described these actions as extrajudicial executions and questioned its legality.
An escalation on several fronts
According to sources close to military planning, these operations were designed in two phases. The second attack, which has not yet been officially announced, would involve attacks on drug trafficking facilities in Venezuela. At the same time, the US Navy intercepted ships carrying Venezuelan oil in the Caribbean with the aim of weakening Chavismo’s main source of income.
Trump claims that the Maduro regime is using oil resources to finance drug trafficking and other crimes and vowed to keep up the pressure all the way to Venezuela “return” to oil, land and assets of the United States. The government of Caracas rejects these allegations and denounces that Washington is trying to appropriate the country’s natural resources.
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