U.S. strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific are disrupting cartel supply chains and placing new pressure on Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Darin Gaub and Heritage Foundation senior research fellow Brent Sadler told Newsmax on Friday.
Gaub told "The Record With Greta Van Susteren" and guest host Mercedes Schlapp that the interdictions are not designed to eliminate the drug trade entirely, but they are having a measurable impact on cartel operations and on Maduro.
"First of all, you've interdicted the supply chain, and that in and of itself is already an impact on the drug trade," Gaub said. While acknowledging the strikes will not stop trafficking altogether, he said they are significant enough to send a message that "hurts."
Gaub pointed to Maduro's recent statement that he is willing to hold "serious" talks with the U.S. as evidence the pressure is working.
Gaub added that such rhetoric from Caracas was unheard of before the maritime strikes intensified.
"That's not Maduro thinking that he's suddenly an anti-drug, anti-narcotics trafficking person," he said. "That's a guy who's trying to preserve what he's built in that country over the years before he loses all of it."
Gaub said the strikes are affecting not only cartel logistics, but also Maduro's finances and internal security, given the regime's reliance on trafficking revenue.
"Keep doing it," he said. "Sink more."
Sadler agreed that sustained pressure from the Trump administration is having practical and psychological effects on the Venezuelan leader. Maduro's recent video remarks were filmed from inside a moving vehicle, suggesting heightened concern over personal security.
"Clearly the pressure is working," Sadler said, adding that cartel logistics networks are most vulnerable when operating in international airspace and waters. He said continued strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific are crucial, but warned that traffickers will adapt.
Sadler said drug routes extend well beyond those regions, running south through Chile, Brazil, and Uruguay, then across the Atlantic into West Africa before reaching European markets.
He urged the U.S. to expand its maritime and aerial interdiction efforts to account for those routes.
"The cartels are going to try and survive," Sadler said, describing Maduro as "part of the protection racket that they rely on."
He also said U.S. pressure should include aggressive action against Venezuela's illicit oil networks, which provide another key revenue stream for the regime.
Gaub and Sadler argued that targeting trafficking and smuggling operations is forcing Maduro into a defensive posture, creating leverage for Washington as it weighs whether talks with Caracas can produce concrete results.
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Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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