Narcoterrorism plank: US intensifies pressure, airlines suspend flights to Venezuela

By Ricardo Vaz
Multiple international airlines have suspended flights to and from Caracas amidst a heightened US military presence in the Caribbean, after the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issuance of a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) a few days back.
Iberia (Spain), TAP (Portugal), LATAM (Chile), Avianca (Colombia) and Turkish Airlines (Turkey) were among the companies to cancel upcoming flights connecting the Venezuelan capital to international destinations.
At the time of writing, Venezuelan airlines Avior, Laser, Estelar and state-owned Conviasa continue to service foreign destinations. The Copa Airlines-operated flight from Caracas to Panama City, one of the region’s main connection hubs, remains active as well.
The airlines’ cancellations were in response to an FAA NOTAM that urged “caution” in Venezuela’s Maiquetía Flight Information Region (FIR) due to a “worsened security situation and heightened military activity.”
Venezuela’s FIR covers the country’s territory and a section of the Caribbean Sea north of Caracas.
Since August, the Donald Trump administration has amassed military assets in the region on a self-declared anti-narcotics mission. The large-scale deployment presently includes the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, guided-missile destroyers, aircraft and around 15,000 troops.
US fighter jets and bombers have repeatedly flown inside the Maiquetía flight information region, often with transponders turned off. The FAA issued similar NOTAMs for Curazao and Puerto Rico FIRs, though no flight cancellations have been reported. All three warnings are in place until February 2026. The contiguous areas could provide US aircraft with a corridor from bases in Puerto Rico to Venezuelan territory.
US forces have destroyed 22 vessels that US officials claimed were carrying US-bound drugs, killing 83 civilians in the process. Nevertheless, US authorities have not disclosed evidence of the boats’ cargoes or crews. UN experts have labeled the bombings as extrajudicial executions.
The US’ Caribbean military deployment recently affected maritime trade as well, with Bloomberg reporting that oil tanker Seahorse saw its path blocked by a US warship on November 14 as it attempted to deliver a cargo of naphtha to a Venezuelan port.
The Cameroon-flagged Seahorse made a U-turn and waited close to Aruba before finally making its way to Puerto La Cruz in Eastern Venezuela and arriving on Sunday.
Poll finds widespread opposition to US military intervention
Trump and administration officials have repeatedly threatened to strike alleged drug trafficking targets inside Venezuelan territory, though the US president recently also raised the possibility of engaging in talks with the Nicolás Maduro government.
Reuters reported that Washington was set to launch a “new phase of Venezuela-related operations,” according to anonymous officials. Two of the sources said covert operations would “likely” be the first part of the plan. However, the officials did not provide any information about the purported new phase nor whether Trump had approved it.
The military escalation reports coincided with the arrival of General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to Puerto Rico, where US bases have likewise witnessed a buildup and heightened activity in recent weeks. Caine is reported to be one of the architects of Operation Southern Spear.
While Trump is said to remain undecided on potential direct attacks against Venezuela, a new CBS News/YouGov poll found that 70 percent of US citizens “would oppose” military action against the South American country.
The survey additionally found dissatisfaction with the administration’s lack of explanations surrounding its military buildup and boat strikes. Nevertheless, a majority of respondents agreed with using military force against vessels suspected of carrying US-bound drugs.
The White House has justified its military buildup and threats against Venezuela on “narcoterrorism” charges against Maduro and other high-ranking officials. A reward for information leading to the Venezuelan president’s capture was raised to US $50 million in August.
A State Department designation of the Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization come into effect. US officials have repeatedly claimed that Maduro directly commands the so-called cartel.
However, Washington has never provided court-tested evidence of the organization’s existence or of any involvement of Venezuelan government and military officials in narcotics activities. The Maduro government issued a statement Monday condemning the foreign terrorist designation as a “ridiculous hoax” from Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“It would be foolish for the Venezuelan government to waste its precious time responding to these slanders,” the communique read. Caracas went on to urge the US to “rectify its policy of attacks and threats.”
Reports from both the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) have indicated that Venezuela plays only a marginal role in narcotics trafficking, with most US-bound cocaine arriving via the Pacific and Central America.
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This article was produced by Venezuelanalysis and Globetrotter. Ricardo Vaz is a journalist and political analyst based in Caracas, Venezuela. He works on the editorial team of the independent media outlet Venezuelanalysis, on the technology team of the Tricontinental Institute for Social Research, and is also a member of the Tatuy TV and Utopix communication collectives

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