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In the midst of the growing military tension between the United States and Venezuela, the leader Nicolás Maduro sent a letter to President Donald Trump in which he accused Colombia of being “the true engine of drug trafficking in the region.”
The letter, in which Maduro denounced a "fake news" campaign - a term he used up to five times - left the Colombian government of Gustavo Petro in a compromised position, an ally of the Chavista regime.
The document, circulated by official media in Caracas, comes just a few days after Washington reinforced its presence in the Caribbean with destroyers, nuclear submarines, and F-35 aircraft, under the pretext of combating drug trafficking and the “Cartel of the Suns,” which, according to the White House, is allegedly led by Maduro.
In the letter, the chavista leader referred to the term fake news at least five times, a phrase popularized by Trump himself, to dismiss accusations of ties to criminal organizations:
“In recent weeks, completely false accusations have emerged regarding alleged ties to mafias and drug trafficking gangs by the legitimate authorities of Venezuela. It is the worst fake news that has been directed against our country,” stated Maduro.
The ruler claimed that his administration has actively fought against drug trafficking and provided figures to support his version. He stated that so far this year, Venezuela has "neutralized 402 aircraft" linked to drug transportation and that more than 70% of the shipments attempting to cross the 2,200 kilometers of border with Colombia have been seized.
According to the data he cited, “87% of the drugs produced in Colombia leave through the Pacific; 8% through La Guajira; and only 5% attempts to be transported through Venezuela.” Therefore, he concluded that the neighboring country, governed by Petro, is the true culprit in fueling international cartels.
Maduro also accused Washington of using "fake news" to justify a military escalation that, if it were to happen, would cause catastrophic damage to the entire continent.
“President, I hope that together we can defeat these fake news that cloud a relationship that must be historical and peaceful, as our Liberator Simón Bolívar always envisioned,” he wrote at the close of the letter addressed to Trump.
The White House has not officially commented on the text. However, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reiterated this week that Maduro “has decisions to make” and that the United States is prepared to “destroy the narcoterrorists” who are sending drugs into its territory.
Maduro's letter adds a new chapter to a confrontation that combines mutual accusations, military movements, and an increasingly belligerent rhetoric in the Caribbean.
A low blow to Petro, his main regional ally
The letter sent by Maduro to Trump not only aimed to dispel what he repeatedly referred to as fake news regarding his alleged connections to drug trafficking, but it also introduced an unexpected element: it pointed directly to Colombia and the administration of Gustavo Petro as the main culprits of drug trafficking in the region.
The move has surprised analysts and diplomats, as Petro has so far been one of the few Latin American heads of state to offer explicit support to the Chavista leader.
Just days before, the Colombian president described the U.S. military action in the Caribbean as an "assassination" that resulted in 11 deaths following the sinking of a vessel coming from Venezuela, allegedly operated by the Tren de Aragua.
"Those who transport drugs are not big drug lords, but very poor young people," wrote Petro on X, defending Caracas's narrative against Washington.
Additionally, at the end of August, Petro once again defended Maduro by denying the existence of the so-called Cartel of the Suns, which the United States has designated as a terrorist organization.
According to the Colombian president, this cartel is "a fictitious excuse by the extreme right to overthrow governments that do not comply." This stance generated harsh criticism in the U.S. Congress, where lawmakers like Carlos Giménez warned that Petro's statements were equivalent to "collaborating with a narcoterrorism cartel."
In that context, Maduro's accusations in his letter to Trump against Colombia—supported by statistics on drug trafficking routes that, according to him, prove that 87% of cocaine leaves through the Colombian Pacific—sound like a low blow to his main regional ally.
For some analysts, the gesture highlights the growing isolation of the Chavista regime and Maduro's willingness to even sacrifice the relationship with a key partner like Petro in order to strengthen his narrative against the military and diplomatic offensive of the United States.
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