Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer González declared herself “proud” on Friday that the island can support the latest military movements of the United States Government in the Caribbean, while accusing Nicolás Maduro’s regime of having flooded the island with “dangerous drugs” that fuel violent crime.
“For too long, cartels and the narco-terrorist regime in Venezuela have flooded our communities with dangerous drugs, fueling violent crime on our streets and endangering the public safety of American citizens in Puerto Rico and across the U.S. We are proud to support our nation’s counternarcotics operations in the Caribbean,” Gonzalez wrote on his X account.
The statement comes after confirmation that the United States deployed 10 F-35 fighter jets to an air base in Puerto Rico as part of operations to combat drug trafficking in the region.
This move comes amid rising tensions with Venezuela, after Washington launched a deadly attack on a boat in the Caribbean Sea that the Pentagon said was carrying illicit drugs bound for the United States and belonged to the Tren de Aragua. Eleven crew members were killed in the operation, which the Trump administration directly linked to the Cartel of the Suns and the Maduro regime.
The situation worsened further when the U.S. Department of Defense reported that two Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets flew over the USS Jason Dunham, which was sailing in international waters in the Caribbean. The Pentagon described the action as a"provocative maneuver" and warned that it will continue to operate "freely and safely anywhere in the world where international law permits."
