WASHINGTON — The United States is deploying three warships to waters off Venezuela as part of President Donald Trump’s effort to counter threats from Latin American drug cartels, according to multiple news outlets, including CBS News.
A Defense Department official confirmed that the Aegis guided-missile destroyers USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham and USS Sampson are scheduled to depart for the region in the coming days and remain deployed for several months.
“President Trump has been very clear and consistent. He’s prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
The move has drawn sharp criticism abroad. China condemned the deployment, while Venezuela announced it has mobilized more than 4 million militia troops.
“We defend our seas, our skies and our lands. We liberated them. We guard and patrol them. No empire will touch the sacred soil of Venezuela, nor should it touch the sacred soil of South America,” Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said in a televised address.
The Trump administration has accused Maduro’s government of working with transnational cartels and recently doubled the bounty on him to $50 million. In February, Trump designated Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, El Salvador’s MS-13 and six Mexico-based groups as foreign terrorist organizations.
The U.S. stopped recognizing Maduro as Venezuela’s president in 2019 and suspended embassy operations in the country.
