US deploys navy to target narco-terrorist networks in Caribbean

…Secretary of State condemns Venezuela’s Maduro regime as “a criminal enterprise”

…Guyana supports US operations to curb drug trafficking in the region

The United States (US) has begun deploying naval and air forces to the Caribbean as part of a renewed crackdown on drug cartels and designated narco-terrorist organisations operating in the Western Hemisphere.

Washington has framed the move as both a counter-narcotics mission and a strategic security operation, with senior officials warning that criminal networks are using the region’s air and sea corridors to funnel drugs into the US.
Speaking at a recent briefing, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasised that these groups – some of which operate in international waters and airspace – pose a direct threat to American lives and security.
“There are designated narco-terrorist groups operating in the region, some of them utilising international airspace and international waters to transit poison into the United States, and those groups will be confronted,” he stated. “The President’s made that clear from the time he operated.”
Rubio singled out Venezuela’s so-called Cartel of the Suns (Cartel de los Soles), describing it not as a legitimate governing authority but as “a criminal organisation masquerading as a Government.”
He asserted that the Nicolás Maduro regime has effectively turned the Venezuelan state into a criminal enterprise, using its control of national territory to facilitate illicit trafficking and threaten regional stability.
“The Maduro regime is not a Government. We’ve never recognised them as such. They are a criminal enterprise that basically has taken control of the national territory of a country,” Rubio said. “By the way, they are also threatening US oil companies that are operating lawfully in Guyana. So, the President’s been very firm – anything that’s a threat to the national security of the United States, he’s going to confront.”

Guyana’s support
Meanwhile, Vice President (VP) Bharrat Jagdeo has declared Guyana’s support for the US’ decision to deploy air and naval forces to the Southern Caribbean Sea to counter the activities of powerful Latin American drug cartels, describing the move as a welcome step in the ongoing fight against narcotics trafficking.
Speaking at his weekly press briefing, Jagdeo said the US position on combating drug trafficking is consistent with longstanding American policy, noting that President Donald Trump had made it clear during his campaign and in office that drug smuggling into the United States would be met with “serious consequences.” He recalled that Trump has also engaged with Canada and Mexico on the matter and even threatened additional tariffs in response to the flow of fentanyl into the US
“I don’t see anything unusual in them deploying assets in the region to prevent drug traffickers from getting into the United States of America,” Jagdeo stated. “In fact, we welcome it because we work in collaboration with them to stop this.”
The VP’s remarks came against the backdrop of confirmation from two sources, speaking to Reuters, that the Pentagon has begun ordering the deployment of US air and naval forces to the Southern Caribbean Sea. The operation is aimed at targeting specially designated narco-terrorist organisations, which Washington views as a direct threat to US national security.

US security strategy
President Trump has made cracking down on drug cartels a central plank of his administration’s security strategy, tying it to broader efforts to limit illegal migration and strengthen border security.
In February, the Trump administration formally designated several groups – including Mexico’s notorious Sinaloa Cartel, other Latin American criminal networks, and Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang – as global terrorist organisations.
US forces have already increased airborne surveillance over Mexican drug cartels to gather intelligence on trafficking operations, while at least two warships have been deployed in recent months in support of anti-drug and border security efforts.
The Southern Caribbean deployment represents an expansion of these measures, intended to disrupt trafficking routes that pass through or near Caribbean waters.
Guyana has for years worked closely with the US on counter-narcotics operations, including joint maritime patrols, intelligence sharing, and capacity-building for local law enforcement.
Jagdeo’s comments signal that the administration views the US presence in the region as complementary to Guyana’s own efforts to combat the transhipment of drugs through its territory and waters.
“But the US has made it clear that anyone involved in drug trafficking or as a threat – that they see drug trafficking as a threat to the United States of America – that anyone involved in it would face serious consequences. And they made it clear, President Trump, on his campaign trail, that he’s going to do all that it takes to stop drugs flowing into the United States of America.”
“In fact, we welcome it because we work in collaboration with them to stop this,” he added.