U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that small boats off Venezuela's coast are filled with "narco-terrorists" transporting fentanyl to the United States to "poison Americans," and has called for the U.S. Navy to destroy them. However, a recent article by the American think tank Cato Institute, compiling U.S. drug source data, reveals a significant gap between Trump's claims and reality.
According to the annual National Drug Threat Assessment released by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the fentanyl in the U.S. market is primarily manufactured in Mexico, with precursor chemicals mainly sourced from countries like India. Venezuela has never been listed in the report as a source or transit country. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)'s World Drug Report also reaches the same conclusion, stating that Venezuela does not produce fentanyl, lacks related trafficking networks, and is not involved in the synthetic opioid supply chain.
Interception data from the U.S. Coast Guard and the Joint Interagency Task Force South show that seizures in the Caribbean mostly involve cocaine, marijuana, and small amounts of heroin, with almost no fentanyl and no cases linked to Venezuela. The U.S. Department of Justice has also never filed charges related to "Venezuela-sourced fentanyl."
The U.S. State Department's 2024 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report only identifies Venezuela as a "major drug transit country," primarily handling Colombian cocaine destined for the Caribbean and Europe. UNODC estimates that only about 5% of Colombia's cocaine transits through Venezuela, with most shipments heading to the Caribbean or Europe.
The independent research office, Washington Office on Latin America, also notes that the cocaine in the U.S. market is mainly smuggled in through Mexico and Central America. DEA's threat assessment reports rarely mention Venezuela. While observers acknowledge that Venezuela has a cocaine transit issue, the proportion actually flowing to the United States is very limited.
Related News:
Trump: New Fed chair nominee might be announced early next year
Comment