U.S. Sends Ten F-35S To Puerto Rico In Expanded Drug-Interdiction Push

(MENAFN- The Rio Times) Under a sweeping gambit to clamp down on maritime cocaine routes, the U.S. on Friday ordered ten F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters to a Puerto Rico airbase, joining an armada of seven warships and a nuclear-powered submarine already patrolling the southern Caribbean.

More than 4,500 U.S. sailors and Marines are now conducting amphibious exercises and aerial surveillance in a bid to choke off“narco-terrorist” networks blamed for funneling narcotics into American cities.

Three days earlier, U.S. forces struck a vessel departing Venezuela-alleged to be carrying a“massive” drug shipment-killing 11 people in international waters. That action, officials said, set the stage for deploying advanced combat aircraft.

Pentagon spokespeople described the F-35s' precision-strike and stealth capabilities as critical tools for locating fast-moving cartel speedboats and supply ships before their cargo reaches shore.

“The F-35 brings a new layer of surveillance and interdiction that we haven't had in this theater,” said a defense official who requested anonymity.“This is about denying traffickers the safety of open sea passage.”
A Tightening Noose on Cartel Routes
Drug-trafficking groups have long used the Caribbean's maze of islands and coastal coves to hide shipments of cocaine, heroin and synthetic opioids.



U.S. Southern Command reports more than 80 interdictions so far this year, but traffickers adapt by shifting routes-a challenge this deployment aims to overcome with joint air-sea operations.

Marine amphibious units based in southern Puerto Rico have practiced beach landings and ship-to-shore raids, while F-35 pilots train to detect low-profile vessels with infrared sensors.

Behind the maneuvers lies an urgent domestic mandate from the White House to demonstrate concrete action against rising overdose fatalities and smuggling volumes.
Caracas Pushback and Regional Jitters
Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro denounced the buildup as“military aggression” and vowed countermeasures. Venezuelan warplanes staged a close-pass maneuver near the USS Jason Dunham last week, prompting U.S. commanders to lodge a formal protest.

“This is a clear attempt to intimidate our neighbor and pursue regime-change under the guise of anti-drug operations,” Maduro told reporters in Caracas.

Neighboring Caribbean governments, while appreciative of U.S. support, voiced concern that heightened military activity could spark miscalculations.

“We welcome efforts to stop narco-boats, but we cannot be bystanders if tensions escalate,” said Prime Minister Mia Thompson of Barbados.
What's Next?
Analysts view the move as a test case for mixing high-end military assets into what has traditionally been a law-enforcement mission.

Success could encourage similar deployments in other transit zones; failure-or a maritime incident-could ratchet up U.S.-Venezuela friction and unsettle fragile regional alliances.

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