President Donald Trump has repeatedly cited three primary factors drugs, migration, and oil to justify his administration’s dramatic military intervention in Venezuela, including the January 5, 2026, capture of former President Nicolás Maduro. As Maduro faces trial in New York on narco-terrorism charges, DDNewsOnline examines the accuracy of these claims based on official data, expert analyses, and independent reports.
Drugs: “Venezuela Flooding US with Cocaine and Fentanyl” Trump has described Maduro as leading a “drug cartel” that deliberately sends narcotics to kill Americans, claiming recent U.S. actions prevented hundreds of thousands of overdose deaths.
Verdict: Mostly False. While Venezuela serves as a transit route for some cocaine from Colombia, it plays a minimal role in U.S. drug inflows compared to Mexico and Central America. U.S. government and UN reports indicate Mexico is the primary source for fentanyl and most cocaine seizures. No credible evidence supports claims of state-directed “narco-terrorism” on a scale that threatens hundreds of thousands of American lives annually. Overdose statistics from the CDC show far lower figures than implied by Trump’s estimates.
Migration: “Maduro Sending Criminals and Gangs to Destabilise US The President has accused Maduro of emptying prisons and exporting gang members, like Tren de Aragua, to overwhelm U.S. borders and communities.
Verdict: False. The Venezuelan migrant crisis over 7 million people fleeing since 2015 is driven by economic collapse, food shortages, and political repression under Maduro’s rule, not a deliberate policy to export criminals. U.S. intelligence assessments find no evidence of state coordination with gangs for migration to America. While some migrants have committed crimes in the U.S., this reflects broader patterns in large-scale displacement, not orchestrated attacks.
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Oil: “Rebuilding Venezuela Profitably with US Control of Resources”
In recent statements, Trump has emphasised Venezuela’s vast oil reserves, saying the U.S. will extract and manage them “for years” to benefit both countries.
Verdict: Misleading. Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves, but production has crashed due to sanctions, corruption, and mismanagement not “theft” from the U.S. Trump’s shift to oil as a post-intervention priority has drawn criticism for revealing economic motives, as rebuilding the industry would require billions in investment with uncertain short-term returns.
Experts note that while drugs and migration have been longstanding concerns, the oil focus has gained prominence after Maduro’s capture, raising questions about the intervention’s underlying goals.
The White House defends the actions as protecting U.S. security and interests, amid ongoing global backlash.
By Ogungbayi Beedee Adeyemi
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