T&T backs US crackdown on drug cartels in Caribbean

Aug 24, 2025 News

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…says no military access against Venezuela unless Maduro strikes Guyana

The Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) government has welcomed the United States (U.S.) government’s deployment of American military assets into the Caribbean region to destroy the terrorist drug cartels.

Last week, it was disclosed that the Donald Trump-administration ordered the deployment of air and naval forces to the Western Hemisphere to address threats from Latin American drug cartels.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that there are designated narco-terrorist groups operating in the region, that have been utilizing international airspace and waters to transit drugs that he labeled as “poison” into the United States.

Secretary Rubio disclosed that those groups will be confronted. Washington had accused the Venezuelan regime of leading the Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns), a criminal drug organization.

In a statement on Saturday night, the twin-island state government expressed full support for the operation and stated, “the only persons who should be worried about the activity of the US military are those engaged in or enabling criminal activity. Law abiding citizens have nothing to fear.”

The Kamla Persad-Bissessar-led administration noted that since the announcement by the U.S., it has not engaged and has no intention of engaging Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member countries on this matter. “Each member state can speak for themselves on this issue,” T&T said.

The Trinidadian government explained that due to drug, human and firearms trafficking, Caribbean countries including T&T have experienced massive spikes in transnational crime, gang activity, murders, violence and financial crimes.

The administration further outlined that T&T and other Caribbean territories have been dealing with “out-of-control crime” for the last 20 years. It stated too that small island states like theirs simply do not have the financial and military resources to take on the drug cartels.

Cartels have been enabled to embed themselves into the high echelons of Caribbean societies, thereby exhibiting significant influence in political, legislative, media, banking, security and economic decisions, often rendering governments toothless to enact actual change to stop criminal activity, the Trinidadian government explained.

It said that record murder rates, gang activity, drug addictions, violent crime and increasing poverty throughout the Caribbean and especially in T&T, certainly do not paint a peaceful existence. “Therefore, it is shocking to hear some persons using referrals to the Caribbean region as a zone of peace to push negative commentary on the US military deployment against these terrorist cartels,” the government noted.

Moreover, the T&T government disclosed that no requests have ever been made by the American Government for their military assets to access Trinidadian territory for any military action against the Venezuelan Nicolas Maduro-regime.

To this end it was stated, “Trinidad and Tobago has always had good relations with the Venezuelan people and that will continue. However, I want to make it very clear that if the Maduro regime launches any attack against the Guyanese people or invades Guyanese territory and a request is made by the American Government for access to Trinidadian territory to defend the people of Guyana, my government will unflinchingly provide them that access.”

Moreover, on Friday night the Government of Guyana has expressed concern about the threat to peace and security posed by transnational organised crime and narco-terrorism in the region.  The Guyanese government said, “We are committed to working with our bilateral partners to find meaningful solutions and will support regional and global initiatives aimed at dismantling criminal networks to safeguard our shared security. By confronting transnational organised crime and narco- terrorism with unity, we reaffirm our dedication to upholding the rule of law and ensuring that the region remains a Zone of Peace.”

Notably, Secretary Rubio had stated that the U.S had not recognized the Maduro regime as a legitimate government and stated, “They are a criminal enterprise that basically has taken control of national territory of a country and who by the way are also threatening U.S. oil companies that are operating lawfully in Guyana.”

Notably, Guyana and Venezuela have a case pending before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over Venezuela’s claim to Guyana’s Essequibo region – which makes up two-third of Guyana’s territory and is a resource rich area.

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• American military assets, drug cartels, Kamla Persad -Bissessar, US military

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