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Venezuela accused the United States on Saturday of illegally detaining a fishing boat in Venezuelan waters for eight hours, escalating tensions as Washington conducts expanded military operations in the Caribbean targeting drug cartels.
Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said the USS Jason Dunham destroyer "illegally and hostilely" detained a vessel carrying nine tuna fishermen on Friday in Venezuela's exclusive economic zone. He described the incident as a "direct provocation through the illegal use of excessive military means."
"The warship deployed 18 armed agents who boarded and occupied the small, harmless boat for eight hours," Gil said, alleging those responsible for the seizure "are looking for an incident to justify escalating war in the Caribbean, with the aim of regime change" in Caracas.
The US military's Southern Command, which oversees the region, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions following Washington's largest naval buildup in the Caribbean in years. President Donald Trump has ordered operations targeting Venezuelan drug traffickers, increasing pressure on President Nicolás Maduro's government.
The United States accuses Maduro of leading a cocaine trafficking network and recently doubled its bounty for his capture to $50 million. Earlier this month, US forces destroyed an alleged drug vessel in the Caribbean, killing 11 people. Trump said the boat belonged to the Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan criminal organization he linked to Maduro's government.
Maduro, whose 2024 reelection Washington considers illegitimate, has denied drug trafficking connections and condemned the US military presence as "the greatest threat our continent has seen in the last 100 years."
In response to the American buildup, Venezuela has positioned troops along its Caribbean coast and Colombian border while urging civilians to join the country's militia.
On Saturday, hundreds of volunteers gathered at Caracas military installations for weapons training, including sessions with Kalashnikov rifles at the 4F fort overlooking the capital.
"It is deplorable that the (United States) intends to invade our nation," said Jenny Rojas, a 54-year-old lawyer participating in the training. "If they try to attack the homeland, the entire population... will defend it."
The escalating confrontation represents an unusual shift toward military involvement in what has historically been handled as a law enforcement matter in US counter-narcotics efforts.
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