Author and commentator John Steppling argues the US narrative around alleged drug-running boats and Venezuela’s so-called cartel is entirely fictional, saying the vessels weren’t carrying drugs.
He added that Washington used this story to justify Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s capture and intensify propaganda against the Bolivarian revolution.
He links these actions to a broader US–European effort to suppress the rise of the global South, citing pressure on African Sahel states and leftist governments in Latin America, and says the aim is to eliminate autonomy in regions once treated as Western colonies.