Month: November 2025

The USS Gerald R. Ford entered the Caribbean Sea on Sunday, marking the most significant U.S. military buildup in the region in decades.

The Navy confirmed the carrier strike group’s arrival as it moved through the Anegada Passage near the British Virgin Islands, completing what officials describe as a sweeping deployment under “Operation Southern Spear.” With the aircraft carrier’s entry, roughly 12,000 U.S. personnel and nearly a dozen Navy vessels are now positioned across the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other officials continue to frame the operation as an effort to curb narcotics trafficking, a justification that has accompanied a series of U.S. strikes on small boats since early September. At least 80 people have been killed across roughly 20–21 interdictions, though the administration has offered no public evidence to support claims that those targeted were “narcoterrorists.”

Adm. Alvin Holsey, head of U.S. Southern Command, said the Ford’s deployment underscores Washington’s intent to confront transnational criminal networks, declaring, “Through unwavering commitment and the precise use of our forces, we stand ready to combat the transnational threats that seek to destabilize our region.” He added that the carrier’s arrival represents “a critical step in reinforcing our resolve to protect the security of the Western Hemisphere and the safety of the American Homeland.”

Rear Adm. Paul Lanzilotta, who leads the Ford’s strike group — which includes fighter squadrons and guided-missile destroyers — said the expanded fleet aims to “protect our nation’s security and prosperity against narco-terrorism in the Western Hemisphere.”

The deployment is widely viewed as a pressure tactic aimed at Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whom the U.S. government does not recognize as the country’s legitimate leader. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described Maduro’s regime as a “transshipment organization” for drug traffickers, accusations Maduro has denied while claiming Washington is “fabricating” a pretext for military confrontation.

Venezuela, meanwhile, announced a nationwide military exercise reportedly involving around 200,000 personnel, a move seen as preparation for potential conflict. Maduro and other officials have argued that Washington’s expanding military footprint is intended to force a change in leadership.

Editorial credit: Cacio Murilo / Shutterstock.com

One of Ecuador’s most sought-after crime figures was taken into custody in Spain on Sunday, ending years on the run after he staged his own death during the pandemic. President Daniel Noboa confirmed that Wilmer Chavarria — known by the alias “Pipo” — was detained in Malaga in a coordinated operation with Spanish authorities. Spain’s National Police released an image showing Chavarria in a black-and-green tracksuit as officers led him to a patrol vehicle.

Investigators say Chavarria headed Los Lobos, a violent criminal network estimated to have roughly 8,000 members and recently designated a terrorist organization by the United States. The group has been tied to high-profile assassinations and is suspected of maintaining ties to Mexico’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Another senior figure in the group, Carlos D — widely known as “El Chino” — was arrested earlier this year in Portoviejo. Authorities described him as the syndicate’s second-in-command and a “high-value target.”

According to Noboa, Chavarria vanished in 2021 by faking his death, securing new documents, and relocating to Spain, where he allegedly continued directing drug routes, issuing assassination orders and extorting Ecuador’s gold-mining sector from abroad.

Chavarria’s capture coincides with a national referendum asking voters whether to amend the constitution to permit foreign militaries to operate bases on Ecuadorian soil. President Noboa argues such a change is essential to expand joint security efforts with partners like the United States and strengthen the country’s capacity to confront entrenched trafficking groups.

Ecuador also continues to face destabilizing gang violence even after the dramatic recapture of Los Choneros leader Adolfo Macías in June following his escape from a maximum-security facility. He was extradited to the United States the following month to face drug and weapons charges. U.S. officials say Los Lobos emerged from within Los Choneros as a hired-gun faction that later split off, gaining power amid fractures in the older gang’s hierarchy. The group has been accused of orchestrating the killing of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in 2023, fueling deadly prison uprisings, and expanding into murder-for-hire and illegal mining operations in addition to its drug-trafficking activities.

Editorial credit: Julian Prizont-Cado / Shutterstock.com