US pushing ‘regime change’ in Venezuela via drug-trafficking claims, military buildup: Fmr. official

By Press TV Website Staff

The United States is orchestrating a “regime change” operation in Caracas by leveling unsubstantiated drug trafficking accusations against President Nicolás Maduro and deploying warships near the country's shores, according to a former official from the Venezuelan foreign ministry.

Carlos Ron, a senior researcher at the Tricontinental Institute for Social Research and former Venezuelan deputy foreign minister for North America, made the remarks in an interview with the Press TV website on the sidelines of the Global South Academic Forum in Shanghai.

He said the shift in US rhetoric this year – labeling Maduro as involved in drug trafficking and terrorism despite a lack of evidence – is a deliberate attempt to justify military actions against the Latin American country without requiring congressional approval.

“Currently, what we're seeing is a 'regime change' operation that has been carried out or tried to be carried out by the United States,” the former diplomat told the Press TV website.

“We see this because there's a new rhetoric that was created since this year, where the government of Venezuela, in particular President Maduro, is being accused of drug trafficking and is being accused of terrorism, even though there has been no evidence presented in this case.”

Ron explained that this marks a departure from earlier US narratives focused on “democracy” issues, noting that security-related accusations allow for “drug-war-type of actions” without legislative oversight.

He pointed to the presence of US warships near the shores of Venezuela as an attempt to incite internal unrest and provoke a coup against Maduro

“The pressure with these new warships coming into the vicinity of Venezuela is trying to create internal commotion, trying to seek that there is some sort of coup d'état, some sort of movement against President Maduro because the United States is interested in controlling what is the world's largest proven oil reserve which is what Venezuela holds also trying to reach other natural resources that Venezuela has,” he asserted.

Ron, who has extensive experience in Venezuelan foreign affairs, placed these developments in a broader global context, arguing that the US is attempting to reassert its waning hegemony amid growing challenges from rising powers like China and Russia.

“When you look at the broader picture worldwide, you see that the United States has been losing its hegemony that it perceived it had after the end of the Cold War and the United States feels threatened by developments in China, Russia and other countries that are for the first time putting at risk its hegemony over development in artificial intelligence, development in technology, development in weapons or even in control of the financial architecture with proposals such as the ones from the BRICS in developing a new financial structure for the world,” he noted.

As a result, the former diplomat added, Washington has intensified attempts to dominate its traditional sphere of influence in the Western Hemisphere, particularly Latin America, where Venezuela stands out due to its independent foreign policy and socialist model.

“Venezuela not only represents sovereign foreign policy - Venezuela has ties with Russia, with Iran, with China, with other countries, but Venezuela also has a successful socialist model that is building with in at the popular level with the communes,” Ron told the Press TV website.

“This and the importance of the Venezuelan resources make it necessary in the eyes of the United States to have to impose its authority to have to remove the government of Venezuela and place somebody that is favorable to them.”

He dismissed the drug trafficking claims against the Venezuelan leadership as baseless, citing US reports from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that show most narcotics entering the United States originate from the Pacific Ocean, while Venezuela's coastline is in the Atlantic and the Caribbean.

“So that's why this whole tension that has been created is a “regime change” operation. It has nothing to do with drug trafficking. Every report that you see throughout the world, even their own US reports from the DEA, shows that most drug trafficking to the United States comes from the Pacific Ocean and Venezuela only has a coast in the Atlantic Ocean in the Caribbean Sea,” he emphasized.  

“So, you see, there's no real justification other than the intent of promoting a regime change operation.”

Tensions between the United States and Venezuela have intensified in recent months, with Washington imposing sanctions and backing opposition figures in a bid to challenge the Maduro government – actions widely viewed through the lens of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves and its growing ties with non-Western powers.

Tensions between Caracas and Washington have dramatically escalated following the US military buildup near Venezuela’s shores, as well as a series of unprovoked military strikes on vessels in the Caribbean, which killed a number of civilians.

Human rights groups have condemned the US military attacks as “extrajudicial killings.”

On Sunday, the US Navy announced the arrival of its most advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, in the Caribbean. The deployment, which includes a dozen navy ships, aircraft, and approximately 12,000 sailors and marines, has been strongly condemned by Venezuela.

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