Caracas – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accused the United States of seeking to topple his government under the cover of a naval buildup in the Caribbean.

The deployment, authorized by U.S. President Donald Trump was officially aimed at curbing drug cartel activity as part of broader border security measures. Maduro, however, dismissed Washington’s justification, calling it an intervention in Venezuela’s internal affairs.

“They are seeking a regime change through military threat,” Maduro told journalists, officials, and senior military officers in Caracas. He warned that Venezuela was facing “the biggest threat our continent has seen in the last 100 years,” and vowed that his nation was “super-prepared” to resist.

The Trump administration accused Maduro and senior officials of drug trafficking, even announcing a $50 million reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell argued that drug cartels were fueling violence across the Americas and flooding the U.S. with narcotics and criminal networks.

Parnell said the operation required a “whole-of-government effort” and confirmed the Pentagon’s role in working with regional partners to weaken cartel operations. He declined to speculate on future military actions.