The recently released information about the US military presence via vessels dispersed in the Caribbean waters, very close to Venezuela , is more a response to a communications strategy by Washington to intimidate Caracas , said the founder of the 'La Tabla' website, Víctor Hugo Majano, in an interview with Sputnik .
"This episode is nothing more than an attempt to grab headlines amid a communications offensive against Caracas, driven by an energy dispute and the reconfiguration of drug trafficking in the Caribbean. It's a psychological operation aimed at creating a climate: criminalizing the adversary, justifying measures, and, if possible, enabling covert actions," he asserted.
On August 18, Reuters reported that the destroyers USS Gravely (DDG-107), USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109), and USS Sampson (DDG-102) approached Venezuelan waters within a 36-hour period to combat "drug cartels."
The agency attributed the information to sources linked to the U.S. Department of Defense, and it was quickly replicated by networks such as CNN en Español, Miami-based digital media, and social media accounts associated with the Venezuelan opposition.
The news was amplified by headlines warning of an imminent "naval operation" in the Caribbean, while seeking to reinforce the narrative that Venezuela poses a "threat" to US security.
"What's the point of moving pieces that have been successful against drug trafficking in the Mexican Pacific region to supposedly bring them to the Caribbean? There's no point. The only point is to 'free' the Pacific region from close surveillance and allow the entry of drugs from the Albanian mafia seeking to conquer the West Coast of the United States," Majano added.
Regional context
For the journalist, the dissemination of this version responds to broader interests than the Venezuelan situation.
"The conspiracy is driven by those who want to control the structures of government. Just as there are legal bourgeoisies that pressure their own interests, there are illegal bourgeoisies linked to drug trafficking that seek to put the state at their service, financing candidates or engaging in violent actions," he stated.
Majano recalled that Colombian President Gustavo Petro's recent revelation about the existence of a regional "drug trafficking cartel" helps to better understand the underlying causes.
"That map has a Caribbean connection. Catatumbo produces for a market that connects with Haiti, the Bahamas, and Florida. In return, weapons and ammunition are returned. Haiti has been a laboratory: militias, drones, mercenaries. That same route also supplies Trinidad and Jamaica. And significant volumes of weapons have been discovered in Venezuela, many of them brought in through courier companies linked to the state of Zulia," he explained.
The analyst added that these are not isolated phenomena. "In Ecuador, the Albanian mafia has been operating for more than 12 years. There is a geopolitical distribution of drugs: cocaine for the Andean-Caribbean region, marijuana more associated with the United States, and opium from Asia and the Middle East. The Cartel of the Suns was a narrative device to hide the true structure of the business."
Maduro calls for military enlistment
In parallel with this media campaign, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced a nationwide military enlistment process, scheduled for August 23 and 24, with the goal of strengthening the Bolivarian Militia and ensuring civic-military unity.
"I call on all the people of Venezuela to join the enlistment process for the Bolivarian National Militia, to strengthen the comprehensive defense of the homeland and national peace ," he declared in a televised broadcast.
The president also held a working meeting with the state's security and defense forces, which included representatives from the FANB (National Armed Forces), the Militia, the Bolivarian National Police, Civil Protection, and fire departments.
The meeting was aimed at strengthening operational coordination mechanisms and ensuring the protection of sovereignty within the framework of the National Plan for Sovereignty and Peace.
At the week's closing event, Maduro called for patriotic unity: "This is not a time for political differences or color differences, for a single flag covers us: yellow, blue, and red," he said from the elliptical hall of the Venezuelan Parliament, at an event dedicated to the defense of sovereignty and peace in Venezuela, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
He emphasized that "this homeland is impregnable" and warned that "no one will touch Venezuela," vehemently stating that "whoever attacks one attacks all." Therefore, he insisted: "This is a time for courage, for uniting efforts, and for putting aside minor differences to speak with one voice, the voice of the homeland."
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