Venezuela's armed forces announced on Tuesday that they intercepted and disabled a foreign aircraft that entered the country's airspace without authorization, citing alleged narcotics-trafficking links and framing the operation as a defense of national sovereignty.
According to the announcement, the aircraft — identified as a Cessna 310 with tail number XBRED — took off from an unspecified location in the Caribbean, turned off its transponder, suppressed communications and landed on an unauthorized border strip in the state of Apure. Venezuelan officials did not say whether anyone on board was detained or killed.
In a detailed statement on social media, Domingo Hernández Lárez, the Operational Strategic Commander of the Venezuelan armed forces, said the aircraft was detected by radar and "declared a target of interest" after entering "illicitly and furtively" into Venezuelan airspace.
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Hernández Lárez said military aircraft immobilized and disabled the plane "in exercise of full national sovereignty," allegedly bringing the overall total to 412 aircraft disabled, including 21 this year. He also closed out his statement on social media with the following:
"Venezuela is a land of peace! We will not allow the violation of our national sovereignty. We are not a platform for transnational drug trafficking; we do not produce, process, or consume narcotic or psychotropic substances"
The announcement comes against a backdrop of significant U.S. military deployments in the Caribbean and near South America. The Trump administration has described its regional naval forces — including warships, drones and fighter aircraft — as part of an anti-drug trafficking mission.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that three vessels operated by "Designated Terrorist Organizations" trafficking narcotics in the Eastern Pacific were struck at the direction of President Trump. At least 57 people have been killed since strikes began in September.
Venezuela has criticized the U.S. presence, accusing Washington of seeking regime change and planning a broader military threat. The country's defense minister on Tuesday warned neighboring Trinidad and Tobago — where the U.S. recently deployed a destroyer and is conducting military exercises — that sovereignty violations will not be tolerated. "We are called to defend our homeland," he said. "We will remain calm and vigilant. But make no mistake concerning Venezuela."
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