US strikes on Venezuelan drug boats: Zone of peace a priority, but transnational crimes must be addressed – Pres Ali

On the heels of a second United States (US) strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat in international waters off the coast of the South American nation, President Dr Irfaan Ali has emphasised that this region must remain a zone of peace. Nevertheless, he asserted that transnational crimes in the region including the use of ‘our land and sea’ for criminal activities must also be addressed.

Three persons were killed in a second US strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat, according to President Donald Trump on Monday. Trump had announced earlier this month that 11 persons had been killed in a similar strike on another boat.
Additionally, Venezuelan Minister of Defence, Vladimir Padrino Lopez, recently issued a direct threat to Guyana as well as Trinidad and Tobago, stating that the countries would receive a response from Venezuela to any attack carried out in its territory. Specifically, he said, “to those who sent a written statement from the United States, I am referring to the Governments of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, who have played along. I say to you, well, if they attack from your territory, you will also receive a response, and that is legitimate defence.”
Asked to comment on these developments during his first press conference of his second term on Tuesday, President Ali expressed that “our sovereignty is our sovereignty and what we do in relation to our sovereignty is our business”.
Nevertheless, he underscored that “our priority as a Government” is to ensure this region remains a zone of peace. “Whilst our priority is to ensure that this region remains a zone of peace, we are also conscious of the impact of transnational crime, drug trafficking, and other forms of illicit activities and the impact it can have on our people, the region and the economy…,” the Guyanese Head of State added. According to President Ali, “we are continuously concerned about criminals using international waters or countries’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in destroying economies, destroying countries, destroying people”.
In fact, he said the Government has raised an alert about the overflights over Guyana of suspected narcotraffickers and drug planes.
“We’ve been talking to our partners to help support us in terms of air surveillance and tracking system because we don’t want our territory to be used, we don’t want our land or seas to be used by any criminal network,” President Ali affirmed.
Noting that this is a matter of grave concern, he further expressed that “we have a duty and a responsibility to make the necessary investment to secure our borders, to secure our people, to secure this region and also to contribute to every effort that will see our region remain a zone of peace”. In August, the US had 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.
Meanwhile, Vice President (VP) Bharrat Jagdeo had noted in August Guyana supports the US’s 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 one of his weekly press briefings, Jagdeo had said the US position on combating drug trafficking is consistent with longstanding American policy, noting that President Trump had made it clear during his campaign and in office that drug smuggling into the US 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.