Vance defended the Trump administration against criticism that, contrary to the authorities' official justifications, the operation to capture Nicolas Maduro was not motivated by the fight against drugs. In a post on the X platform, the vice president also admitted that Venezuela is not the main source of fentanyl, which is responsible for the vast majority of overdose deaths in the US.
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What is Venezuela's role in the cocaine market?
What does JD Vance think about the US intervention in Venezuela?
What are the main sources of fentanyl in the US?
Is Venezuela a key cocaine producer?
“First of all, fentanyl is not the only drug in the world and it is still present in Venezuela (or at least it was). Secondly, cocaine, which is the main drug smuggled from Venezuela, is a source of profits for all cartels in Latin America. If we cut off cocaine revenues (or even reduce them), we will significantly weaken the cartels. Besides, cocaine is also harmful!” Vance wrote.
He added that although most of the fentanyl is smuggled into the US by cartels from Mexico, stopping this practice is also a priority of President Donald Trump's policy.
“Should we just let the communist steal our goods?”
Vance also responded to critics accusing Trump that the U.S. intervention was motivated by the desire to seize Venezuelan oil. During Saturday's press conference, Trump announced that the US would extract Venezuelan oil, sell it to other countries and that the profits from this would constitute compensation for the US, including due to the expropriation of American companies from Venezuela by the government of Hugo Chavez, Maduro's predecessor.
“I understand concerns about the use of military force, but should we just let communists steal our goods in our hemisphere and do nothing? That's not how great powers behave,” Vance wrote. “The United States, thanks to President Trump's leadership, is a great power again. Everyone should take this to heart,” he added.
Vance was previously known for his isolationist views and ardent opposition to military interventions. As commentators noted, contrary to previous practice, the vice president was not present in Florida together with other decision-makers during the operation to capture Maduro. According to White House officials, he was to connect via video call.
Where do drugs come to the US from?
Despite the vice president's words, data from the reports of the US drug enforcement agency DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) show that Venezuela is not an important producer of cocaine, although it is part of the smuggling route.
The 2025 DEA report stated that 84 percent cocaine intercepted by services in the US comes from Colombia. The document also mentions other countries, but not Venezuela. Most of the Colombian cocaine in the U.S. is smuggled through other routes, mainly through the Pacific, with only a small portion reaching the U.S. market through the Caribbean Sea, to which Venezuela has access.
According to 2020 estimates by the U.S. Department of State, between 200 and 250 tons of cocaine passed through Venezuela annually, equivalent to 13%. world supply of this substance. However, other countries had a much larger share in this practice, for example Guatemala, through which 1.4 thousand people passed through in 2018. tons of cocaine, the New York Times reported.
