US guided missile cruiser USS Lake Erie crossed the Panama Canal amid President Donald Trump’s latest anti-drug trafficking operation.According to news agency AFP, the naval vessel was passing through the canal’s lock at around 9:30 pm and navigated east towards the Atlantic Ocean.This comes after the Trump administration deployed warships to the southern Caribbean, near Venezuela’s territorial waters, as an anti-drug trafficking operation.Seven US warships, along with one nuclear-powered fast attack submarine, are either in the region or are expected to be there soon, bringing along more than 4,500 sailors and marines, news agency Reuters reported.While US Coast Guard and Navy ships regularly operate in the southern Caribbean, the current buildup exceeds the usual deployments in the region.In the naval force are warships, including USS San Antonio, USS Iwo Jima, and USS Fort Lauderdale. Some can carry aerial assets like helicopters, while others can also deploy Tomahawk cruise missiles.The US military has also been flying P-8 spy planes in the region to gather intelligence, US officials have said. They have been flying over international waters.“I didn’t know the ship was going to pass… I was surprised,” Alfredo Cedeno, a 32-year-old health technician who took photos of the cruiser, told AFP.Earlier, Washington had accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of leading a drug cartel and doubled the bounty for his capture to $50 million.The United States has, however, made no public threat to invade Venezuela.Later, Venezuela announced that it would patrol its territorial waters with drones and navy ships.Maduro also claimed to have mobilized more than four million militia members in response to US “threats.”The 567-foot-long (173 meters) USS Lake Erie displaces 9,800 tons and is based in the port of San Diego, California.
