Venezuela's socialist government claimed Sunday that it captured a group of "CIA-linked mercenaries" allegedly plotting a false-flag attack meant to justify U.S. military intervention in the Caribbean.
The accusation comes as U.S. forces expand a massive military buildup across the region to dismantle drug cartels and target the Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns), a network the Trump administration says is run by Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro himself.
In a fiery statement, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez accused the U.S. and Trinidad and Tobago of coordinating military exercises "to generate a full-scale military confrontation" against Caracas.
Rodriguez claimed the captured group was operating near Venezuelan waters bordering Trinidad, describing the alleged plot as a "false-flag operation" similar to the USS Maine explosion in 1898 or the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964 — both of which preceded major U.S. wars.
The Venezuelan regime offered no proof of arrests, giving no names, photos, or locations of the supposed suspects.
None of the regime's claims has been independently verified by any news organization.
Newsmax has reached out to the White House for comment.
Maduro's government also lashed out at Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, accusing her of "renouncing sovereignty" and turning her island nation into a "military colony subordinated to U.S. interests."
The statement claimed the joint drills, allegedly overseen by U.S. Southern Command based in Doral, Florida, were part of a "hostile provocation" that threatens the "peace of the Caribbean."
In Washington, a White House spokesperson dismissed the accusations as "disinformation from a collapsing regime desperate to distract from its criminal activities."
U.S. officials have said they remain focused on "disrupting transnational narcotics networks" operating from Venezuelan territory.
President Donald Trump has called Maduro "the head of a criminal gang" and has signaled that ground incursions into Venezuela are being considered.
"We've got the sea very well under control," Trump said this month. "Now we'll stop it by land."
Over the past two months, nearly 10,000 U.S. troops have been deployed in the Caribbean, primarily out of Puerto Rico, with a heavy Navy and Marine presence.
The Pentagon has positioned at least 10 warships, a submarine, and the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to reinforce operations.
The destroyer USS Gravely's arrival in Trinidad and Tobago last week further angered Caracas. Maduro blasted it as evidence of a "new eternal war" being waged against his country.
Maduro vowed that Venezuela's armed forces remain "alert and mobilized in perfect civil-military unity" to repel what he called "foreign aggression."
"Our republic will defend its sovereignty and right to live in peace," he said. "We will not accept threats from imperial powers or their vassals."
U.S. officials have warned for months that Venezuela's regime continues to traffic cocaine and provide safe harbor for armed groups tied to global criminal networks.
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