Trump Accuses Maduro's Deadly Pipeline: Venezuela 'Shipping Fentanyl to US' as War Drums Beat Loud

President Donald Trump says his fight with Venezuela is about drugs. Critics say it looks far more like a march toward confrontation.

In recent days, Trump has accused the government of Nicolás Maduro of helping funnel fentanyl into the United States, framing the opioid crisis as a hostile act by a foreign state. The claims have coincided with heightened US military activity in the Caribbean and increasingly combative rhetoric from Washington.

While the White House presents the strategy as lifesaving enforcement, analysts and former intelligence officials warn the fentanyl argument may be a convenient cover for much broader geopolitical aims.

Trump's Fentanyl Claim Against Maduro

President Trump has accused Venezuela of waging what he calls a narco war against the United States. According to him, Venezuelan cartels are shipping fentanyl north with the full complicity of President Maduro, contributing to a crisis that has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans.

The administration argues that these claims justify a state of war readiness, including naval deployments in the Caribbean and reported air strikes on small Venezuelan boats. On the surface, the message is blunt. Drugs equal death, and Washington says it is ready to act.

But even voices familiar with cartel operations urge caution. On Piers Morgan's podcast, combat instructor and cartel expert Ed Calderon said bluntly, 'You said fentanyl at the beginning, and you are right. A lot of that product is not coming from Venezuela. It's coming from Mexico. It's coming from China specifically.' He added that the designation of narco-terrorism was 'a very broad sword' that could be used for other aims.

Experts Question the Drug Narrative

While Venezuela has long been linked to cocaine trafficking, fentanyl is a different story. According to Calderon, most fentanyl entering the US is manufactured using Chinese chemicals and moved by Mexican cartels, not shipped directly from Venezuela.

'If you were choosing one country in that region as a place to target for drugs, you would probably choose Colombia, not Venezuela,' he said, questioning why Caracas has suddenly become the focal point.

He acknowledged that elements of the Venezuelan military have been involved in organised crime for years, but warned against oversimplifying the threat. 'There is something horrible happening here. This is just one part of the chessboard,' Calderon said, suggesting the drug narrative may be a convenient cover.

Regime Change Fears and CIA Shadows

Those fears were echoed by CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou, who told the programme that drugs may be an excuse rather than the real reason. 'Probably yes,' he said when asked if the US was using the cartel threat to justify regime change. 'You can say you are doing it to stop the flow of drugs, even if that's not really the case.'

Kiriakou pointed to China's growing influence in Latin America, especially its interest in Venezuelan oil. 'Perhaps this is a way to keep the Chinese out of the Caribbean and out of Venezuela,' he said.

He also outlined what a covert operation might look like, saying, 'To affect a coup if you want it to be quick, everything that's important is going to take place in the capital. You have to control the radio and television stations, surround the presidential palace and control the major intersections. Once that happens, all the other dominoes begin to fall.'

Such comments have fuelled fears that Venezuela could become another Iraq or Afghanistan, where removing a leader proved far more straightforward than managing the aftermath.

Human Cost and Global Consequences

Beyond geopolitics, there is a deep human cost. Millions of Venezuelans have fled the country in recent years, driven by economic collapse and political repression. Calderon, who has spoken to refugees across Europe, said many were once educated and prosperous before losing everything. 'This broad brush that labels all migrants as criminals is just not the case,' he warned.

For now, Venezuela remains in the crosshairs, with drugs as the stated cause. Whether that explanation holds, or masks a deeper strategic struggle, may shape the next chapter of US involvement in Latin America.