Venezuela Destroys Secret Airstrip Linked to International Drug Trafficking

Kokcha News Agency – Venezuela’s Bolivarian National Police (PNB) has destroyed a clandestine airstrip in the rural area of Falcon state, which is believed to be connected to international drug trafficking. The airstrip, approximately 500 meters long, was rendered unusable during the operation, according to a statement from the PNB.

The authorities emphasized that operations against drug cartels in the region will continue with determination. This move is part of Venezuela’s broader efforts to combat drug trafficking and organized crime.

Strengthening Military Presence
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, in a statement on state television, announced that Venezuela will strengthen its military presence in the Caribbean region. Lopez stated that the military presence in five states, known as the Caribbean and Atlantic fronts, will be specifically reinforced under the instructions of President Nicolas Maduro.

Lopez also highlighted ongoing operations against drug cartels in the Apure state, near the Colombian border, warning, “No one will come to do this job for us. No one will set foot on our land and do what we need to do.”

Tensions with the U.S.
Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez addressed the U.S. military presence in the Caribbean Sea, stating, “We know there are serious threats against Venezuela, we know there are attacks against our country. But it is impossible to stop Venezuela’s production process.”

Tensions between Venezuela and the U.S. have been escalating. U.S. President Donald Trump previously signed an executive order to increase the use of the military to combat drug cartels in Latin America.

Maduro has been accused by the U.S. of leading the “Cartel de los Soles,” a drug trafficking network allegedly responsible for smuggling drugs into the U.S. for over a decade. On July 25, the U.S. Treasury Department designated the “Cartel de los Soles” as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity.

On August 8, the U.S. government increased the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest or conviction from $25 million to $50 million.

Maduro, in a statement on August 18, responded to the possibility of U.S. intervention, saying, “We defend our seas, our skies, and our land. We liberate, we observe, and we patrol. No empire can touch Venezuela’s sacred land or the sacred land of South America.”

On August 28, following Trump’s orders, a U.S. naval group consisting of a submarine and seven warships was reported to be heading toward the Caribbean region near Venezuela.