Trump: US Set to Strike Venezuela’s Drug Networks ’Very Soon’

By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump announced Thursday that the United States will soon target drug trafficking from Venezuela "by land", expanding the current anti-narcotics campaign.

The announcement came during a Thanksgiving video call with US troops, where Trump provided an update on efforts targeting Venezuela.

"We've almost stopped -- it's about 85 percent stopped by sea," Trump said during the call, adding that "we'll be starting to stop them by land also. The land is easier, but that's going to start very soon."

New contracting records reviewed by The Intercept indicate that Washington is laying the groundwork for an extended military deployment across the Caribbean, pointing to a mission likely to stretch through the end of President Trump's term.

The files offer an unusual window into Pentagon planning at a moment when speculation in Washington about a potential clash with Venezuela is intensifying.

Regarding border safety, Trump claimed that the US now has the most "secure border in American history."

As US military activity increases across the Caribbean and Pacific, Colombian President Gustavo Petro has accused the Trump administration of using pressure on Venezuela as a pretext to gain access to its oil reserves.

“[Oil] is at the heart of the matter,” Petro told CNN in an exclusive interview, noting that Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world.

“So, that’s a negotiation about oil. I believe that is [US President Donald] Trump’s logic. He’s not thinking about the democratization of Venezuela, let alone the narco-trafficking,” he added, asserting that Venezuela plays a minor role in the global drug trade.