Venezuela Shipping

Wow, Sal's got a lot to say on this one:

 

There is no proof there were drugs on either boat, since the evidence was burnt and sunk. They are publicity stunts and a show of force. How many drugs would they find by boarding a cruise ship? Summary executions are illegal.

 

Shameful. Visitors will make us pay by destination changing.

Prove they were not fishing. My neighbor in Tx has 4x 300hp engines and they cost way over $100,000.

11 guys not needed for drug running..something else going on or they were going to be distribution, but arrest them, if they fire on US vessels, blast em..

11 men are a lot of extra weight if they were just running drugs no need for personnel weight; something else is going on; US wants to upset the Venezuelans..

 

Let's assume they had a ton of cocaine. They were not an imminent danger to anyone. Summary executions, regardless of reason, are illegal.

 

I think everyone is reading the room wrong...
From the Wiki article "2025 US Caribbean naval deployment"

Pressure Maduro yes, but maybe not for that reason. There have always been ties between trasnational criminal orginizations (Tren de Aragua or Cartel de los Soles perhaps) and rogue states with thier supported extra-national military/terrorist forces (say Iran and Heabollah, Houthis, IRGC, etc). And the use of AGM-114 is overkill for a narco go-fast boat in international waters but consistant with previous strikes against foreign terrorist organization (FTO's) members even on other countries sovereign soil. Additionally, go-fast boats have been used for Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.

Finally, there is the timing: May, Houthi begin IRBM (supplied by Iran, N Korea, and China) attacks on Israel and Israeli counter strikes... US halts air strikes on Yemen based on Houthi halting of attacks on shipping; June, Israel and US attacks on Iran nuclear sites... Houthis threaten US warships and attacks shipping...US resumes airstrikes; July, Houthis sink two ships amid continued airstrikes... US sanctions companies moving Iranian oil via the "shadow fleet" which includes Venezuela; Mid August, US suddenly moves significant assets to the southern Caribbean; Sept 2nd and 16th, US attacks on specific "narco" boats which are then crowed about by the White House.

So of all the small boat vessel traffic along the north coast of south america...with all the assets available to interdict drug smuggling...those two specific vessels were targeted by drones and overwhelmingly attacked without inspection....not bloody likely.

 

Maybe trying to take the news focus from Israel.

 

Thank you John.

 

This is the first thread in this forum without the "like" button.

 

Someone must have eliminated that option to punish Venezuela.

 

Or somebody wants to bring the Gaza War to this hemisphere.

And realistically, nobody should "like" the subject of this thread....

"Punish" is a very strong word...

 

Forgive my bluntness. You know, I'm not very knowledgeable about the nuances of the English language. Let's say "...to annoy Venezuela."
Is that "more civilized"?

 

The like is for the comment, not the subject.