Maduro counterattacks Trump with rhetoric and announces downing of nine drug trafficking aircraft

So far, there has been no official reaction from the Chavista regime to the announcement made by Donald Trump regarding the attack that U.S. forces allegedly carried out on Venezuelan soil against previously identified drug trafficking targets — presumably linked to the Tren de Aragua criminal organization.

The operation, carried out with drones earlier this month, is the first military aggression by a United States government against Venezuela in its entire history. Information leaked to the press states that there were no casualties in the attack, as the facilities were empty.

Pressed to offer some kind of political response after such a serious announcement, the Nicolás Maduro government has opted to fill the information vacuum with one of its own: the downing of nine aircraft linked to drug trafficking in border areas “in less than 24 hours.” A milestone that, according to the Chavista regime, constitutes “a world record” in the fight against drug trafficking, although this claim has not been independently verified.

Caracas has decided to fully engage in the struggle to control the narrative, rather than offering any direct response to Washington. Maduro added that eight of these alleged illegal aircraft were shot down by the so-called Bolivarian Military Aviation in Amazonas state, in the south of the country, on the border with Brazil — where illegal drug trafficking camps were also destroyed — and another in the plains state of Apure, on the border with Colombia.

“I congratulate our Bolivarian National Armed Forces and our Air Force for their vigilance,” Maduro said in a national radio and television broadcast, omitting the information leaked by Trump to the U.S. press. “We are concluding a year-long offensive against criminal gangs and all enemies of the homeland.” For the second consecutive day, Maduro avoided addressing the U.S. attack.

This latest exchange of statements between Trump and Maduro has caused confusion in Venezuela. The attack alluded to by the U.S. president was isolated, without impact, consequences, casualties, or concrete reports. Its existence was unknown until several weeks later. It would appear to be yet another step in the sequence of political and military pressure tactics that Washington has been carrying out against Chavismo. For the United States, at the moment, what matters is saying it.

Political analysts consulted for their interpretation of this issue declined to comment. The reason is always the same: there is insufficient information. “It’s very difficult to form an opinion based on such confusing and incomplete information,” said one of them, who preferred to remain anonymous. “This is a matter shrouded in mystery, far removed from everyday politics; nobody knows about it. There is no reliable evidence of the announced attack, nor whether there were actually any talks between Trump and Maduro, even though they have claimed otherwise. We don’t know.”

Continuing its narrative, the Venezuelan regime claims to have neutralized a total of 39 aircraft linked to drug trafficking in 2025 at various locations across the country, but particularly in border areas. Never before has the Venezuelan regime been so eager to present evidence of its commitment to combating drug trafficking.

On the other hand, Caracas’ silence regarding the announcements made by Trump fits a pattern that has become the norm in the Chavista hierarchy during this crisis: not to magnify the provocations of a militarily superior adversary, and to do everything possible to keep the dispute within the realm of rhetoric and politics.

This has been the case with the various flights of U.S. aircraft that skirted national airspace, or openly entered its confines in flight maneuvers; and with the first attacks made on boats on the high seas coming from Venezuelan coasts, identified as military targets for allegedly being linked to drug trafficking.

As the White House hardened its tone and the severity of its accusations against Caracas over the last four months — blaming the Maduro government for being the ringleader of the Cartel of the Suns and having alleged links with criminal gangs — the Venezuelan regime has made an additional effort to publicize and amplify the dissemination of its anti-narcotics and anti-organized crime operations.

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