This week, we analyze the ripples of recent US operations in the Caribbean and Venezuela across the region. That includes tensions between the US and Mexico, violence along the Colombia–Venezuela border, and the continuation of record cocaine seizures between Latin America and Europe.
Transcript
Daniel: [00:00:04] Welcome back to On the Radar. This week we analyze the regional repercussions of the recent US operations in the Caribbean and Venezuela. After weeks of rising tension, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and US President Donald Trump spoke and ruled out US military action in Mexico, an idea that Trump had put on the table following US operations in Venezuela. After the call, Sheinbaum’s government announced the arrest of four members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and another four individuals linked to the Tren de Aragua. These arrests, and those that may follow, show that US pressure, rather than direct action, is enough for Sheinbaum to strengthen her offensive against the cartels.
[00:00:54] Moreover, along the border between Colombia and Venezuela, violence is intensifying as armed groups like the ELN and FARC dissidents fight over key narcotrafficking corridors. This escalation has unfolded amid a reconfiguration of power triggered by the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro. These clashes have forced local communities into displacement and confinement, and the humanitarian situation along the border could continue to deteriorate, with the risk of a new surge in migration in the face of an increasingly unstable Venezuela.
[00:01:34] Finally, a series of joint operations between authorities in Latin America and Europe resulted in record drug seizures and key arrests this week. In the Canary Islands, 10 tons of cocaine were seized from a shipment coming from Brazil, the largest seizure in Spain’s history. Sweden intercepted three tons, a national record. In Belgium, 140 kilograms from Costa Rica were confiscated, and in Bolivia, 700 kilograms bound for Spain were seized. This all comes as the Trump administration insists that trafficking is decreasing as a result of military strikes in the Caribbean that began in September. However, the evidence suggests otherwise.
[00:02:19] This was On the Radar. Don’t miss our updated profiles on the key criminal players in Venezuela and our investigations on the cocaine trade to Europe at insightcrime.org. Until next week.
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