Nicolai Haugsted
President Donald Trump confirmed that Venezuela was removed from the list of failing drug-control states.
State Department registries no longer include Venezuela on the official list of nations that have demonstrably failed to combat illegal drug networks, according to Reuters.
Failing grades had clung to the nation continuously since 2005, but leadership shifts in Caracas quickly altered the political narrative coming out of Washington.
President Donald Trump highlighted Wednesday that the January arrest and removal of Nicolás Maduro—alongside subsequent cooperation with the interim government led by Delcy Rodríguez—yielded immediate national security results, including the killing of Tren de Aragua leader ‘Niño Guerrero’.
“I have determined Venezuela should no longer be designated as having failed demonstrably to fulfill its drug control commitments. I expect to see continued, measurable progress from the interim government in dismantling narcoterrorist groups and stopping drug trafficking through Venezuela,” Donald Trump declared in an official determination published by the State Department.
Bogota Prepares for Potential Security Redemption
Political leadership in Colombia is similarly eyeing a return to Washington’s good graces after bilateral relations frayed under former leftist President Gustavo Petro.
Washington designated Colombia last year for failing to curb cocaine production amidst heated political clashes, but the election of President Abelardo De La Espriella signaled a fresh diplomatic start.
De La Espriella, a former attorney connected to right-wing paramilitary figures, assumed office in August pledging aggressive security crackdowns.
“Colombia is poised to resume its place as our foremost security partner in the hemisphere,” Donald Trump noted.
“If, as expected, Colombia makes progress on aggressive coca eradication and dismantling its narcoterrorist networks over the coming year, I will consider lifting the country’s ‘failed demonstrably’ status,” the American president added.
Federal agencies continue to classify both South American nations as major transit or production hubs alongside Afghanistan, the Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Burma, China, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Laos, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, and Peru.
