(MENAFN) The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is evaluating three potential methods to remove Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from office, including a possible operation by Navy SEALs, The New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed officials.

This news follows a recent increase in U.S. military presence in the Caribbean, after Trump accused Maduro of being connected to “narcoterrorist” networks involved in smuggling drugs into the United States.

Last month, Trump authorized CIA activities in Venezuela related to purported state-sponsored drug trafficking.

Concurrently, Washington has stationed naval forces in the western Caribbean, with orders to use overwhelming force against suspected drug-running vessels. Maduro has rejected the accusations, asserting that Trump is “fabricating a new war.”

According to The New York Times, the plans under consideration could involve a mix of airstrikes on military bases supporting Maduro, special operations targeting the president personally, and initiatives to seize Venezuela’s oil fields and other critical infrastructure.

One scenario reportedly involves striking military installations, some of which U.S. officials suggest may assist drug trafficking.

The objective of this tactic would be to undermine the Venezuelan military’s support for Maduro.

A second approach would deploy U.S. Special Operations forces, including elite units like Delta Force and SEAL Team 6, also known as ‘Navy SEALs,’ to capture or eliminate Maduro, the report noted.

The White House might seek to circumvent existing limits on targeting foreign leaders by labeling Maduro as the head of a narcoterrorist organization, echoing the rationale behind U.S. airstrikes on drug-smuggling ships, The New York Times explained.

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