"In the early hours of 3 January, Caracas and other cities in Venezuela were bombed and the Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, was kidnapped along with his wife by US military personnel. In addition to the 100 deaths recorded so far as a result of the attack, approximately 100 more were caused by US attacks on small boats in the previous months, under the pretext of combatting drug trafficking."
"As a typical Andean country neighbouring the world's main coca producers, Venezuela has always played a significant role as a cocaine corridor. Since the turn of the century, its involvement in international drug trafficking has increased significantly as a result of growing European demand for cocaine, the effects of 2000's Plan Colombia, which displaced illegal operations to border regions and neighbouring countries, and the breakdown of technical cooperation with Washington."
US military forces attacked Caracas and other Venezuelan cities on 3 January and kidnapped President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, producing about 200 deaths when combined with prior maritime strikes. The initial stated rationale was to fight illegal drug trafficking and stop migrant flows allegedly caused by Venezuela. Venezuela historically acted as a cocaine corridor due to geography, rising European demand, Plan Colombia displacements, and reduced technical cooperation with Washington. Recent data show a marked decline in that role, with the UN World Drug Report 2025 estimating only 5% of Colombian cocaine passing through Venezuela. Alternative routes, Caribbean seizures, group fragmentation, and stronger criminal networks elsewhere help explain the decline.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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