The Maduro regime has temporarily banned the purchase, sale, and operation of drones in Venezuelan territory, citing national security concerns as tensions with the United States continue to escalate.
"Given the duty of the National Executive to regulate and control navigation in the airspace... the purchase, sale, manufacture, import, distribution, training, registration and operation of remotely piloted aircraft (drones) is suspended and prohibited," Venezuela's Transportation Minister Ramón Velásquez Araguayán said in a statement picked up by The Associated Press.
The measure, which excludes security and defense agencies, will last 30 days with the possibility of extension.
The drone ban coincides with heightened U.S. military activity in the region as U.S. officials confirmed on Tuesday that three guided-missile destroyers — the USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham, and USS Sampson — are being deployed near Venezuelan waters as part of enhanced counter-narcotics operations. The broader deployment involves about 4,000 sailors and Marines, surveillance aircraft, and at least one attack submarine, according to U.S. defense officials consulted by Reuters.
The move prompted authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro to announce that he would activate more than 4.5 million militia members across the country, a force created under former president Hugo Chávez to supplement the armed forces. He also said "the empire has gone mad" and that the Trump "has regurgitated its threats to Venezuela's peace and stability."
The Trump administration has also escalated legal and political pressure on Maduro. In February, Washington designated Venezuela's Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization and then, most recently, also included the Cartel de los Soles, which U.S. officials allege is led by Maduro and senior figures in his government. The U.S. also doubled its reward for Maduro's capture to $50 million, citing narcotics trafficking charges.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil characterized the U.S. accusations on Tuesday as politically motivated. "That Washington accuses Venezuela of drug trafficking reveals its lack of credibility and the failure of its policies in the region," he said in a statement shared with AP.
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