Sunday, September 14, 2025 -A U.S. official confirmed that personnel from a Navy ship carried out an inspection of a Venezuelan fishing vessel in international waters, checking for potential drug trafficking activity.
The move comes as part of Washington’s broader campaign to disrupt narcotics routes across the Caribbean and South America, where fishing boats are often suspected of being used by cartels to smuggle shipments north.
The inspection did not immediately lead to reports of seizures or arrests, but it has already stirred attention in the region.
Venezuelan officials, long critical of U.S. operations near their waters, accused Washington of overstepping and warned that such maneuvers risk provoking tensions.
Meanwhile, U.S. defense sources framed the action as routine and necessary to stem illegal flows fueling crime and addiction across the hemisphere.
The incident underscores the fragile balance between anti-narcotics enforcement and geopolitical friction.
Washington is signaling a readiness to maintain pressure in a zone where Venezuelan authorities are often seen as unwilling or unable to clamp down on smuggling networks.
How Caracas responds in the coming days could determine whether this remains an isolated episode or the start of a wider diplomatic standoff.
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