ALBAWABA- U.S. President Donald Trump has confirmed that American forces carried out a strike on what he described as a “major facility” in Venezuela, allegedly linked to drug trafficking, marking a new escalation in Washington’s campaign against narcotics networks connected to the South American country.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said intelligence assessments indicate the target was a cocaine processing facility in the port city of Maracaibo, in western Venezuela.
According to Petro, the site was allegedly used to refine coca paste into cocaine intended for international export. U.S. officials have not publicly confirmed the exact location or nature of the facility, nor have they released information on casualties or damage.
The strike comes amid heightened U.S.-Venezuela tensions during Trump’s second term, as Washington intensifies pressure on President Nicolás Maduro’s government, which it accuses of enabling large-scale drug smuggling.
Since September 2025, U.S. forces have conducted more than 30 operations targeting suspected Venezuelan drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific, according to media reports. Those operations reportedly resulted in the sinking of several boats and the deaths of more than 100 people, though independent verification remains limited.
Trump has characterized the campaign as part of a broader effort to combat what he calls “drug terrorism,” frequently linking regional cocaine trafficking to the influx of fentanyl into the United States.
Notably, Venezuela is not a significant producer of fentanyl, which is primarily synthesized elsewhere, but has long been identified as a transit route for cocaine produced in neighboring countries.
Venezuelan authorities have not commented on the reported strike in Maracaibo. In previous statements, Caracas has rejected U.S. accusations and condemned American military actions as violations of its sovereignty and international law.
The latest operation highlights the increasingly hostile the U.S. approach toward Venezuela, which includes expanded sanctions, maritime interdictions, and the 2020 U.S. indictment of senior Venezuelan officials on narco-terrorism charges.
