GEORGETOWN, GUYANA – Secretary of War Pete Hegseth visited Puerto Rico this week as the U.S. is building up its military presence in the Caribbean, putting pressure on Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro. Washington accuses his regime of fueling the drug trade, but there’s much more at stake here. Now, Venezuela’s dispute with Guyana over oil-rich territory is adding fuel to the fire.
Just this year, the U.S. Coast guard has seized almost half a billion dollars worth of cocaine in the Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela, and the Trump Administration has had enough.
In recent weeks the U.S. military deployed eight warships, surveillance planes, a nuclear submarine, and 10 F-35 stealth fighters to the region. Officials say the surge is part of an aggressive counter-narcotics campaign.
Last week, the U.S. struck a suspected smuggling vessel, killing 11. The mission was authorized directly by the President. “Billions of dollars of drugs are pouring out of Venezuela and other countries. Venezuela has been a very bad actor, and we understand that,” President Trump said.
Caracas rejects the charges. Maduro insists the drug war is being used as a pretext to destabilize his government.
“Venezuela is not a relevant country in terms of drug trafficking and in all related matters. So this lie is as crude and false as the claim that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. It’s a lie,” Maduro said.
He has mobilized millions of militia members and warned Venezuela could declare a “republic in arms” if attacked. Venezuelan fighter jets have twice buzzed U.S. Navy ships in international waters. U.S. commanders say any further threats could be met with force.
Another facet to this conflict is playing out here in Guyana. Venezuela’s tiny neighbor has been under threat as Venezuela claims sovereignty over approximately two thirds of the country, along with massive offshore oil reserves. But the U.S. has major business interests here, with ExxonMobil and other companies developing huge new fields. Washington’s security posture may also be aimed at deterring Venezuelan moves against Guyana.
The border dispute between Venezuela and Guyana was supposed to have been settled more than a hundred years ago. But when 11 billion barrels of oil were discovered offshore, suddenly the Venezuelans decided to claim a chunk of Guyana the size of Florida.
In March, Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited here, and announced new security cooperation with Guyana as a warning to Venezuela to keep its hands off.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “There will be consequences for adventurism. There will be consequences for aggressive actions. You have a very difficult challenge on your hands with a dictator that’s making illegitimate territorial claims, and you have our full commitment and support.”
Pressed on whether the U.S. would back Guyana militarily, Rubio left little doubt.
Rubio said, “It would be a very bad day for the Venezuelan regime if they were to attack Guyana or ExxonMobil or anything like it. It would not end well for them.”
The Trump administration has a $50 million bounty on Maduro. So while U.S. officials frame the buildup as counter-narcotics, the sheer firepower deployed raises questions whether Washington is preparing to go beyond interdiction, and possibly move to oust Nicolás Maduro from power.
For certain, the stakes are rising. Whether this confrontation stops at drug enforcement—or escalates into regime change—may depend on Maduro’s next move.
