The Minister of Defense of Venezuela, Vladimir Padrino López, announced on Sunday a military reinforcement in five strategic states along the Caribbean and Atlantic coasts of the country, at a time marked by escalating tensions with the United States.
From what he described as a bunker of the High Command of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB), Padrino López explained that, by direct orders from Nicolás Maduro, "additional resources and forces" will be deployed to the states of Zulia and Falcón in the northwest, which are considered sensitive drug trafficking routes by Caracas.
The military high command specifically mentioned Venezuelan La Guajira and the Paraguaná Peninsula as key corridors for smuggling and illicit transit. It also confirmed the increase of troops in the insular states of Nueva Esparta (which includes Margarita, Coche, and Cubagua), as well as in Sucre and Delta Amacuro, located on the Atlantic coast.
"Nobody is going to come to do the work for us. Nobody is going to step onto this land to do what we are meant to do," stated the minister in a message posted on his official X account, accompanied by a video showing military planning meetings.
Troop and drone reinforcements
According to data released by Padrino, the reinforcement involves the expansion of the so-called “Zone of Peace N.1,” which originally consisted of 10,000 personnel and has now increased to 25,000 following successive deployments, supported by naval and riverine resources as well as surveillance drones.
The announcement comes just weeks after the Minister of Interior, Diosdado Cabello, confirmed the presence of 15,000 additional troops in Zulia and Táchira, regions bordering Colombia, with the stated goal of "ensuring peace" and containing criminal groups.
The deployment will also extend to the Sierra de Perijá and the state of Apure, where Caracas claims to be confronting armed organizations linked to drug trafficking and Colombian paramilitarism.
Climbing with Washington
The measure comes amid rising tensions following the naval deployment ordered by President Donald Trump in Caribbean waters, justified as a means to combat drug trafficking.
The White House directly accuses Maduro and high-ranking Chavista officials of leading the Cartel of the Suns, designated by Washington as a narco-terrorist organization.
In recent weeks, U.S. destroyers have been conducting patrols in the Caribbean, while the Trump administration has authorized the deployment of F-35 fighters in Puerto Rico.
Caracas has denounced these actions as a "direct threat to national sovereignty" and has responded with air and maritime maneuvers by the FANB over U.S. naval units.
With this new reinforcement, Maduro aims to display military strength on the northern and eastern coast of Venezuela, a scenario that is shaping up to be one of the hottest in the Caribbean in decades.
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