The coastal city of Güiria, Venezuela—a place long sustained by drug smuggling and contraband—has been thrown into turmoil after a series of U.S. precision strikes on suspected narcotrafficking boats. According to Reuters, the bombings have stopped illicit maritime traffic cold, cutting off the shadow economy that had become a lifeline for the city’s roughly 40,000 residents.
For years, Güiria depended not on industry, not on honest commerce, but on trafficking routes that kept cash flowing. Once those boats stopped moving, so did the money. One shop owner told Reuters that stores only saw recent activity because of government bonus payments—otherwise, the economy is “practically dead.” When your entire business model collapses just because drug shipments stop… well, that says it all.
Locals say no boats of any kind are leaving the coast—not smugglers, not migrant transports, not traders. The shutdown has exposed how deeply the region’s economy relied on criminal networks. And with President Trump taking a firm stand against narcotrafficking, the consequences are now hitting home for those who profited from the chaos.
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s socialist regime—still viewed as illegitimate by the U.S. and much of the international community—has responded exactly as one would expect: with intimidation, secrecy, and surveillance. Families of men believed to have been killed in the strikes reported visits from police and intelligence agents, who searched their homes and warned them not to speak. No bodies returned, no official answers—just the usual treatment from Nicolás Maduro’s dictatorship.
Security forces have intensified their presence across Güiria since mid-September. Locals describe patrols by agents from the DGCIM and SEBIN, notorious branches of Maduro’s intelligence apparatus. According to a former resident, the DGCIM even set up a “command center” in a nearby state-owned hotel, driving people indoors and tightening the climate of fear. When civilians can’t tell whether the person walking next to them is a neighbor or a regime spy, you know tyranny has fully taken root.
It’s no wonder these agencies are under scrutiny: The DGCIM is being investigated by the International Criminal Court and sanctioned by the U.S. for horrific abuses, including torture and extrajudicial executions. SEBIN’s track record isn’t much better, with years of targeting journalists and political dissidents.
All of this instability comes amid a significant U.S. naval buildup near Venezuela—about 10% of total U.S. naval assets. Since Sept. 2, American forces have carried out 21 strikes on alleged narcotrafficking vessels, reportedly killing more than 80 traffickers. President Trump even authorized covert CIA operations inside Venezuela in mid-October, tightening the squeeze on the Maduro regime and its criminal networks.
In November, the U.S. officially designated the Cartel de los Soles—run by Maduro himself, according to the administration—as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. When a dictator becomes a cartel boss, the free world doesn’t get to sit back and shrug.
Trump told service members on Thursday that U.S. forces are prepared to take the fight to narcotraffickers by land, not just by sea—a clear message that America isn’t stepping back. It’s stepping in.
The people of Venezuela deserve freedom, not oppression. And with firm U.S. action dismantling drug routes and exposing Maduro’s criminal machinery, there’s reason to hope that better days may one day reach even the darkest corners of the country.
