Colombian President Gustavo Petro stated on X that U.S. President Donald Trump bombed a drug trafficking factory in Maracaibo, Venezuela, managed by the ELN terrorist group, in a post shared over the past hour ending at 12:16 AM UTC on December 31, 2025, according to https://x.com/petrogustavo/status/2006131856304144892 and https://x.com/OrlvndoA/status/2006146682660991212. Petro's statement, posted during the reporting window from 11:16 PM UTC on December 30 to 12:16 AM UTC on December 31, asserted that the factory mixes coca paste to produce cocaine, taking advantage of Maracaibo's sea location, and criticized U.S. policies for targeting cannabis-laden boats instead of cocaine routes, as quoted from a New York Times article on remains of attacked boats reaching the Colombian Caribbean. Petro further noted that many seized boats carried cannabis, which is legal in several U.S. states, and urged crop substitution in Colombia's Catatumbo region amid falling cocaine prices, according to his X post attributed by @OrlvndoA as an urgent claim. Separately, a Mohajer-6 Iranian drone was reported at El Libertador Air Base in Maracay, Venezuela, with a photo from a few days prior during exercises, as posted by @Arr3ch0 on X at https://x.com/Arr3ch0/status/2006145602002760180 over the past hour. This comes amid U.S. Southern Command's #OpSouthernSpear operations in the Caribbean, including a SATCOM flight plan for an RC-135V/W from Honolulu and Stratotankers preparing early departures from Santo Domingo's AILA airport, as previously reported.
