US military 'strikes drug boat,' conveniently forgetting its own history of narco-trafficking for regime change
📰 THE STORY: The US military's Southern Command announced its first known deadly strike on an alleged drug-trafficking vessel since the purported 'capture' of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, killing two and leaving one survivor, as part of its ongoing interdiction efforts against 'narco-trafficking operations' allegedly linked to Venezuela. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical
Context: The US has a documented history of involvement in, or deliberate ignorance of, narco-trafficking to achieve geopolitical goals. During the 1980s, the CIA was implicated in facilitating drug running by Nicaraguan Contras, a US-backed insurgent group fighting the Sandinista government. The Iran-Contra Affair (1985-1987) exposed how the Reagan administration secretly sold arms to Iran in
exchange for money and the release of US hostages, with some funds diverted to the Contras, whose drug activities were widely reported. Similarly, the 2002 Venezuelan coup attempt against Hugo Chavez, backed by the US, involved figures later implicated in drug operations, signaling a consistent pattern of tolerance for illicit activities when strategically convenient for regime change. Double
Standard: When the US or its allies are involved in actions that either facilitate drug flows or create conditions for them (e.g., the 'War on Terror' leading to a boom in opium production in Afghanistan post-2001 invasion), mainstream media often sidesteps detailed scrutiny or attributes it to 'unintended consequences.' However, when a nation targeted for regime change, like Venezuela, is