The Cartel War reaches the depths of the Caribbean: Trump reveals Maduro’s offer

U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that the American military had carried out a strike on a “drug-carrying submarine” in the Caribbean region.

When asked by reporters, Trump stated that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro had offered significant concessions in an attempt to ease tensions between the two nations.

Asked whether Maduro had offered some of his country’s natural resources as part of a potential deal, Trump replied, “He offered everything. You’re right. You know why? Because he doesn’t want to act foolishly toward the United States.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Trump had announced that he had authorized the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to conduct covert operations against Caracas and was considering launching strikes targeting drug cartels operating within Venezuelan territory.

Trump’s remarks sparked anger in Caracas, where Maduro denounced “CIA-orchestrated coups” in a televised speech and ordered military drills in response.

Speaking again to reporters at the White House about a new strike in the Caribbean, Trump said, “We attacked a submarine. It was a submarine specially designed to carry massive amounts of drugs.”

The U.S. president added, “These were not a group of innocents.”

Sitting beside him, Secretary of State Marco Rubio refused to confirm whether there were any survivors, saying that “more information will likely be released later today.”

Washington has not presented any evidence to support its claim that the targets were drug traffickers, while experts have pointed out that such targeted killings are unlawful even if the individuals involved belong to criminal organizations.

The strike comes amid a large-scale U.S. military campaign in the Caribbean, officially described as part of Washington’s ongoing anti-narcotics operations.

It is the sixth such airstrike announced since early September, during a period of sharply escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas.

The campaign has been widely condemned across Latin America, as fears grow in Caracas that Trump is seeking to engineer a regime change in Venezuela.

For his part, Maduro — who pledged to deploy forces nationwide since the beginning of the crisis — announced on Friday that new military maneuvers would take place in four additional states: Mérida, Trujillo, Yaracuy, and Lara.