Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has accused the United States of using anti-narcotics operations as a pretext to pursue control over his country’s vast energy resources.
“Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world. But the Americans are trying to protect their deeply imperial interests and bring Hollywood-made stories to the screen,” Maduro said, dismissing Washington’s long-standing allegations of drug trafficking.
Maduro insisted that only 5% of Colombian narcotics pass through Venezuelan territory, branding the growing U.S. military presence in the Caribbean as “the greatest threat to the continent in the past 100 years.”
His remarks come as former U.S. President Donald Trump continues pushing for Maduro’s “prosecution,” having previously placed a $50 million bounty on his capture.
Reports in U.S. media indicate that Washington has recently stepped up military deployments near the Caribbean coastline, fueling speculation of a renewed attempt at regime change in Caracas.
