PANIC IN CARACAS: US Military and Intelligence Pressure Reportedly Leaves Venezuelan Officials Paranoid, Changing Mobile Phones, Sleeping in Different Locations
Tensions are rising inside Nicolás Maduro’s inner circle as an unprecedented U.S. military buildup presses on Venezuela. The operation — described by officials as the largest U.S. deployment to the Caribbean since the Cold War — has placed roughly 10,000 American service members in the region, many based in Puerto Rico, with Marines aboard naval vessels and at least eight Navy warships and a nuclear-powered submarine operating nearby. Fighter jets, combat helicopters and strategic bombers have also been mobilized for regional missions.
U.S. forces have conducted strikes against suspected drug-smuggling vessels off Venezuela’s coast, actions that U.S. officials say disrupted trafficking networks and resulted in dozens of suspected narcotics traffickers killed. The military escalation has been accompanied by stepped-up covert action, including activities attributed to U.S. intelligence services.
The combined pressure appears aimed at forcing political change in Caracas through an overwhelming show of force and psychological strain rather than a full-scale ground invasion, according to opposition figures and analysts. The campaign has reportedly unsettled Maduro’s regime: senior officials are said to be switching phones, changing sleeping locations nightly and purging suspected dissenters amid growing paranoia.
Maduro has also been publicly portrayed by some U.S. authorities as tied to organized narcotics networks, facing an indictment for sanctions evasion and a multimillion-dollar bounty. “President Trump’s strategy isn’t about putting boots on the ground; it’s about demonstrating overwhelming military superiority and using that power to achieve political ends,” a Venezuelan opposition source familiar with U.S. discussions told reporters.
Voices close to Washington’s security community have spoken bluntly about the objective. “The plan now is a capture of Nicolás Maduro — capture, arrest or kill — and take him out, one way or another,” said Vanessa Neumann, a Venezuelan defense industry entrepreneur and former opposition envoy with ties to U.S. security circles.
About Post Author
