By: Adrian Castanon Galicia
On January 3rd, 2026, the United States launched an unprecedented, large-scale operation in Venezuela, which led to the capture of the President of Venezuela–Nicolas Maduro– and his wife, Cilia Flores. After their capture, they were transported to New York to face criminal charges for accusations of narco-terrorism.
A couple of days later, President Donald J. Trump issued a statement that sent shockwaves across the Americas: “American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again,”. The operation, combined with Trump’s statements, showed that this was a new era in the war on drugs.
Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, opposed the U.S.’s intervention in Venezuela, even stating that Mexico “categorically reject[s] intervention in the internal matters of other countries[.]” During a phone interview, President Trump stated that the U.S. had offered Mexico military support to attack the cartels. President Trump also added that “something will have to be done about Mexico,” which led to concerns about potential U.S. military action in Mexico. Pardo emphasized that Mexico’s sovereignty must be respected, and noted that Mexico is already cooperating with the U.S. on the fight against drug trafficking. Nonetheless, President Trump has increased the pressure on Latin American countries beyond Mexico, such as like Colombia and Cuba.
The justification for Maduro’s arrest and the increased pressure on Latin America is the war on drugs. The U.S. had, in hopes of imminent capture, increased the reward for information about Nicolas Maduro from $25m to $50m dollars, stating that Maduro was one of the largest drug-traffickers in the world. Additionally, the United States has designated Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations and also categorized fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction. Thus, the pressure on the Mexican government to deliver results on drug trafficking has never been greater.
Despite Pardo’s emphasis on the sovereignty of Mexico, the likelihood of an intervention by the United States is plausible. The U.S. has shown, with the capture of Nicolas Maduro, that the protection of Latin America is a priority for this administration. Later in January, this narrative prevailed, with President Trump stating that the sea operations of destroying drug boats had been successful, and that it was time to focus on land operations.He concluded by stating that “The cartels run Mexico.” Mexico faces uncertainty on the next move of the United States regarding the war on drugs. But one thing is clear, Maduro’s capture changed the whole board and this new strategy on the war on drugs has Mexico, and the rest of Latin America, on edge.
