Venezuela’s Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López said the United States is consolidating its power in the Caribbean at the expense of regional sovereignty, amid rising tensions and fears of military escalation against President Nicolás Maduro’s regime.
The leader of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) has put his military on high alert, with significant troop deployments, as the United States has been moving naval and air assets into the Caribbean.
“We are going to defend the concept of sovereignty and the government of the United States must know that we are not going to surrender,” the minister recently said.
Why It Matters
Maduro has relied on an inner circle to help ensure loyalty to his regime, including Padrino, its top military commander and a central figure in the regime who has repeatedly criticized American “imperialism.”
The U.S. does not recognize Padrino’s authority as minister and accuses him of involvement in narcotics trafficking and corruption, placing a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
It has also targeted other top Venezuelan officials and recently designated the “Cartel de los Soles” as a foreign terrorist organization, a network allegedly led by Maduro and including high-ranking government figures.
Maduro’s Loyal Ally
Aligned with Venezuela’s leftist Chavista ideology, Padrino was appointed defense minister in 2014. He graduated from the Military Academy of Venezuela in 1984 and has held strategic leadership roles across the Venezuelan military.
He has constantly defended Maduro, reaffirming the armed forces’ loyalty against attempts to contest his rule, and is one of the senior security officials in the country implicated in widespread abuses, according to rights groups, notably a severe crackdown on anti-government protests in 2017.
Padrino’s longstanding loyalty was underscored by Maduro’s 2019 decision to retain him in his post.
“I’ve decided to ratify … Vladimir Padrino as minister so that he can continue to shine with his disposition, his intelligence, with his military leadership,” the president was quoted by Reuters as saying at the time.
Padrino publicly presents himself as a committed socialist and defender of Venezuela’s revolutionary government but his family has built a network of companies and U.S. properties worth millions, according to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) in 2020.
Venezuela’s military expanded control over the country’s economy, managing key industries like oil, mining, ports, banking and agriculture, a deep integration stemming from former President Hugo Chávez’ era and reinforced by Maduro.
The U.S. sanctioned Padrino in 2018 for leveraging military control to uphold the regime. The U.S. Department of Justice formally indicted Padrino in 2019, charging him with “conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine on an aircraft registered in the U.S.”
What People Are Saying
Venezuela’s Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López said Friday at a public event, according to his Instagram account: “The United States has recognized that the world is moving towards inevitable multipolarity and has begun a strategic withdrawal to consolidate its hegemony in this hemisphere, particularly in the Caribbean Sea, at the expense of the sovereignty of our peoples. We will defend our concept of sovereignty, but the world must be attentive to what is happening here, as it will shape the global order in the coming years. Either there is balance in this hemisphere, or there will be hegemonism and barbarity.”
U.S. State Department in Narcotics Reward Program announced in January: “Padrino López charged drug transportation organizations a protection fee to allow these drug laden aircraft safe passage out of Venezuela. This protection fee was routinely in excess of $60,000.”
What Happens Next
According to Maduro, Venezuela has more than 200,000 troops ready to protect the country ‘s sovereignty as the U.S. has sent warships to the Caribbean, reopened regional bases, and hinted at potential operations against Maduro’s regime and its alleged drug links.
