Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino LĂłpez reads a statement reaffirming FANB's commitment to national sovereignty. Photo: FANB.
The Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB) categorically condemned the farcical statements of US Attorney General Pamela Bondi, who recently announced the increase of the bounty offered for the arrest of the constitutional president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro Moros.
Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino LĂłpez read out an official statement on Friday, August 8, emphasizing that “these fanciful, illegal, and desperate offers, in the best Hollywood Western style, represent yet another act of interference in the internal affairs of Venezuela that flagrantly violates international law and the principles of self-determination of the peoples.”
“The cynicism of the US knows no bounds or parallels,” he added. “It tries to give us lessons in democracy when its current government systematically disrespects its own laws, governing arbitrarily and capriciously, trampling on norms and traditions in its own country; a pathetic example of this is its disastrous immigration policy.”
“They accuse us of leading a drug trafficking cartel, disguising with this farce the harsh reality of their decaying society in which thousands of their fellow citizens die daily due to the consumption of narcotic and psychotropic substances,” he pointed out. “Just look at the horrific images of people on the streets of US cities, suffering the devastating effects of rampant addictions, who, by the way, are not provided with any kind of help because the healthcare system is private and absolutely exclusive.”
He emphasized that the US government is trying to hide “the complex issues of drug-producing countries, in which its interventionist policies and outdated programs have done nothing but exponentially increase violence and drug crops, with undesirable socioeconomic consequences for local populations.”
“The US also operates drug trafficking routes in the Pacific, heading to different parts of the world, mainly North America, Europe, and Australia,” he added.
“Since 2005, when Commander Chávez suspended DEA activities in Venezuela, drug seizures in the country have substantially increased, and the so-called monitored or controlled deliveries, a bizarre perversion of this cartel that never contributed to solving a problem, were eliminated,” he remarked.
“The Venezuelan government, through the Bolivarian National Armed Force and the citizen security bodies, is carrying out a frontal fight against this terrible scourge. Achievements include the neutralization of 398 narco-aircraft since 2012 with the implementation of the law for the Comprehensive Defense of the airspace, and, so far in 2025, over 51 tons of drugs have been seized,” the minister pointed out.
He also highlighted the enormous number of clandestine airstrips and processing laboratories located near the border with Colombia that have been destroyed in the last five years by the Venezuelan government, and the seizure of a significant number of vehicles and machinery used in the transport of illegal substances.
“In this battle against this harmful vice for humanity, we will not rest or spare any effort, and at the same time, we will dismantle the narrative of the US government that uses this issue as a political weapon,” he added.
Padrino LĂłpez made it clear that Nicolás Maduro is the constitutional president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, commander-in-chief of the FANB, “who exercises the highest authority of the institution, per the national Constitution, but who is also a revolutionary leader who has earned the affection of the institution under unassailable principles of love for the homeland, work, discipline, honesty, and total dedication to the defense of the most basic interests of the people.”
Venezuela Slams US Bounty Increase on Maduro as Allies Condemn Pathetic Aggression
FANB is not a mercenary organization
Minister Padrino LĂłpez stated that the FANB is not a mercenary institution, as dignity and military honor are immeasurable values that were inherited from the liberation heroes. We are not subject to blackmail, nor will we tolerate insolent ultimatums from foreign powers, or from powers that are resurfacing today in this process of international change.”
Padrino LĂłpez stressed that the FANB reaffirms “absolute loyalty and unconditional support to our commander-in-chief, whose integrity we will defend against any internal or external threat. We are on permanent alert to confront, combat, and neutralize any action that threatens the peace and tranquility of the citizens, as well as to safeguard our territory.”
Maduro has decisively combated drug trafficking
Before reading the statement, Padrino LĂłpez stated that Pam Bondi’s accusations against President Maduro represent “a disrespect to the Venezuelan people, the FANB, and human intelligence,” because “the commander-in-chief has been the president who has fought with the greatest strength and decisiveness against drug trafficking.”
The minister also praised the efforts and operations that have been carried out in Venezuela against drug trafficking by Commander Hugo Chávez and currently by President Nicolás Maduro.
“The words of Bondi reflect what the United States really is, a country where a pseudodemocracy exists, an absurd thing, where the arrogance and supremacy of imperialism are evident in its constant desperation to maintain its share of power,” he said.
“There are many sectors filled with hatred, and it hurts them that in Venezuela we are at peace and have just held elections, a great democratic celebration, and that causes them discomfort, especially the government of the United States,” he added.
“They do not want to see a united and peaceful country. It seems that imperialists do not like that, nor do they want the country to progress in its development and its true democratic vocation,” emphasized Minister Padrino LĂłpez.
He highlighted that Hugo Chávez left a legacy as a military leader in Venezuela that is upheld by President Nicolás Maduro. “The FANB admires and follows the legacy of the Supreme Commander Hugo Chávez FrĂas, and we will never abandon the path of the Bolivarian Revolution,” he emphasized.
(Últimas Noticias) by Olys Guárate
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/SF
