Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López (left) presents a report on the military exercises carried out by FANB this year. Photo: Prensa FANB.
Venezuelan Minister of Defense Vladimir Padrino López presented a report on the operations carried out by the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB) in defense of territorial integrity.
On Thursday, October 2, at the Generalísimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base in La Carlota, Miranda state, Minister Padrino López highlighted the patriotic stance of the armed forces in defense of the homeland, especially “when the US empire has deployed its warships and aircraft in the Caribbean Sea, in an area that we in Latin America and the Caribbean have designated as a zone of peace.”
He spoke about the training provided to the people, institutions, and security agencies in response to the US threat, with more than eight million registered militia members, over 60% of whom have years of training. He added that the Bolivarian National Militia has special operations units that are highly combat-ready, organized, equipped, and very well-trained.
He also highlighted the national drill held on September 28 in preparation for potential disasters or armed conflicts, with the participation of various agencies and the public in a popular-military-police union.
“Many activities have been carried out throughout the national territory. The military exercises are a true demonstration of balance and efficiency,” he declared, stating that Venezuela has coherent strategies to protect its territory and sovereignty.
Moreover, he referred to President Nicolás Maduro receiving an honorary doctorate in Comprehensive Defense of the Nation from the Bolivarian Military University of Venezuela (UMBV) in recognition of his courage in defending national honor, territorial integrity, and the Venezuelan people.
Fight against drug trafficking
Minister Padrino López reaffirmed Venezuela’s commitment to combating drug trafficking. “We are moving from west to east… with the activation of the URRA [Rapid Reaction Unit] combat teams to block, for example, the northern La Guajira region and the Paraguaná Peninsula, a route used for drug trafficking,” he explained.
Further, he spoke about the ongoing deployment in the first Binational Peace Zone, which comprises the states of Zulia and Táchira in the border region with Colombia, where 15,000 additional troops have been deployed to reinforce protection efforts for border communities.
He added that there are other deployments in La Guajira, the Sierra de Perijá, the Venezuelan Catatumbo, and Táchira, “eliminating terrorist, armed, and drug-trafficking groups of Colombian origin.”
Troops have been deployed in Apure to patrol the rivers and in Guárico to combat criminal gangs, where Operation Zaraza 200 is underway, “and we are having resounding success.”
“We also have a deployment in Los Pijiguaos because some terrorist and drug-trafficking groups from Colombia moved over there. There is an operation underway,” he reported.
The minister also reported that Operation Sifontes 200 is still underway in the eastern part of the country, attending to road preparation, infrastructure development, and comprehensive development. Meanwhile, Operation Cumanagoto 200 continues in Sucre State. He said that Venezuela should not be considered a weak country, as “we are prepared to defend our sovereignty from any intruder.”
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Results of the operations
The results yielded by Operation Cumanagoto 200 include the dismantling of 14 logistical structures belonging to armed groups, the seizure of vessels with outboard motors intended for drug trafficking, the confiscation of 9,000 liters of fuel, and the seizure of 12 firearms.
In activities carried out over the past 15 days in the state of Amazonas as part of Operation Escudo Bolivariano Neblina 2025, seven illegal mining camps were destroyed, 23,200 liters of gasoline and 6,800 liters of diesel were seized, along with four motorcycles, 3,500 meters of high-pressure hose, 145 water suction pumps, two .22-caliber firearms, 800 meters of piping, and other items. Four individuals engaged in illegal mining were also apprehended.
In the Sierra de Perijá, a major anti-narcotics operation was carried out to eradicate illicit plants, resulting in the destruction of six hectares of marijuana cultivation, 1,500 kilograms of processed marijuana, four seedling nurseries, and eight camps of armed groups.
In the Catatumbo area in Zulia state, an illegal FARC camp was discovered, where 86 bricks of suspected cocaine, two rifles, two fragmentation grenades, ammunition, 138 electric detonators, 142 non-electric detonators, three satellite radios, and other items were seized.
In another camp reportedly belonging to the ELN, 150 packets of suspected marijuana, four shotguns, a container of black powder, a pistol with a magazine, 212 cartridges, and other items were seized.
Minister Padrino López expressed his gratitude to those who have participated in the operations, as well as to the Colombian government for its fight against drug trafficking.
Venezuela is a territory free of illicit crops
Padrino López highlighted the work done by security agencies to eradicate illicit crops, which are grown in Colombia and carried across the border into Venezuela.
“In Catatumbo, in Binational Zone Number One, we have dismantled camps of both the National Liberation Army and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Furthermore, recently in La Sierra… we found six hectares of illicit crops that have been completely eradicated,” he reported.
The minister stressed that there is no cultivation of illicit crops, processing, money laundering, or cartels in the country, nor is there any drug distribution, adding that over 60 tons have been seized this year.
“Venezuela remains a territory free of illicit crops, as documented in the United Nations reports … There are no such crops in Venezuela, and when there are, we find them and eradicate them,” he reiterated.
Imperialism wants to control the region’s resources
He stated that the region represents a “vital space” because of its natural resources, culture, and identity, which is why imperialism is trying to overthrow governments and control the continent’s wealth, seizing the Caribbean Sea. “Now, they are trying to do it through war,” he warned.
“US imperialism, the Monroe Doctrine, is trying to control this hemisphere through military threats, through war. We are completely and diametrically opposed to that warmongering stance against Latin America and the Caribbean,” he emphasized.
He reiterated that Latin America and the Caribbean is a zone of peace, as declared by the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in 2014.
(Últimas Noticias) by María Eugenia Rodríguez
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/SF
