Venezuelans Reject US Military Threats, ‘Narcoterrorism’ Allegations in Anti-Imperialist March
Caracas, August 13, 2025 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Thousands of Venezuelans marched Monday to denounce the Trump administration’s latest aggression against the Caribbean nation’s government. Last week, Washington offered a USD $50 million reward for information leading to President Nicolás Maduro’s arrest.
The “Great Anti-Imperialist March” was organized by the ruling Socialist Party (PSUV) in several cities nationwide. In Caracas, the rally spanned the large Francisco de Miranda Avenue as popular organizations, workers from state institutions, and political parties carried flags and banners in support of President Maduro.
Addressing the rally, National Assembly (AN) president Jorge Rodríguez said the mobilization condemned the “stupid threats” from “fascists from the North.”
Daniel Córdova, spokesperson for the Comuna Luchadores por El Buen Vivir, vowed that the communal movement would remain steadfast in the face of US aggression.
“We know that the North American empire will always be against socialism, but the Bolivarian Revolution is irreversible and the empire will not manage to demoralize our president,” Córdova said during the mobilization.
Maduro praised the nationwide rallies for taking a stand against “interventionist pretensions,” and said that the Venezuelan people will not be swayed by “desperate imperialist narratives.”
On August 7, US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that Washington was raising the bounty against Maduro from $25 million to $50 million. The Trump government accuses the Venezuelan leader of collaborating with criminal organizations such as Tren de Aragua, the so-called Cartel de los Soles and the Sinaloa Cartel “to bring deadly drugs and violence” to the US.
US authorities have released no evidence to back the charges, while Caracas sustains that they are part of a smear campaign against the Venezuelan government tied to regime-change operations. The bounty on Maduro comes atop years of economic sanctions against the Venezuelan economy, which includes the country’s oil industry, its main revenue source.
On Friday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that her government does not have “any proof” of alleged ties between Caracas and the Mexican Sinaloa cartel.
“As we always say, if they have some evidence, show it,” Sheinbaum told reporters.
For his part, Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned US military threats following reports that the Trump administration directed the Pentagon to start using military force against Latin American drug cartels.
“Any military operation that does not have the approval of the brotherly countries is an act of aggression against Latin America and the Caribbean,” Petro wrote on X on Sunday. He added that Venezuela and Colombia “are one people.”
In a meeting with diplomatic representatives on Tuesday, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil warned that the White House intends to wage war in Latin America and urged international condemnation to deter US military interventions.
The increased bounty for Maduro’s arrest followed the US State Department’s July 25 designation of the “Cartel de los Soles,” a purported criminal outfit said to be run by Venezuelan military officers, as a terrorist organization. US officials have not provided court-tested evidence linking Maduro or other high-ranking officials to the so-called “narcoterrorism” charges nor evidence of the cartel’s existence.
Venezuela ceased cooperation with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in 2005 under former President Hugo Chávez, accusing it of being a facade for US-sponsored drug trafficking operations and espionage in the region. Leaked documents in 2014 and 2024 corroborated the DEA’s destabilization activities.
The US criminalization efforts have also targeted Venezuelan migrants. In February, the Trump administration designated the “Tren de Aragua” gang as a terrorist organization, claiming the Maduro government was sending criminals to the US. The designation was used to justify mass detentions and the expulsion of Venezuelan migrants from the US based on unproven gang-affiliation claims and due process violations.
In July, Caracas secured the repatriation of 252 Venezuelan men who had been deported by the US to El Salvador’s CECOT mega prison. Independent investigations found the men had no links to the extinct gang, while a declassified US intelligence memo stated there was no credible evidence linking gang cells to the Maduro administration.
Venezuela has been a leading voice in opposing US-led aggression around the world and has promoted South-South cooperation and sovereignty. The Maduro government has also repeatedly condemned the US-backed Israeli genocide of the Palestinian people.
Edited by Cira Pascual Marquina in Caracas.