Trump removes Venezuela from US drug transit list after Maduro ouster

September 17, 2026 at 01:53 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

President Donald Trump removed Venezuela from the US list of major drug transit or production countries, citing cooperation with the interim government after Nicolas Maduro's arrest. The administration is considering removing Colombia and Bolivia, while keeping their designations for now. Trump also redirected $52 million in foreign military funding toward Latin America.

Key Facts

Venezuela was removed from the US list of major drug transit or production countries, according to a statement submitted to Congress on Tuesday and released Wednesday.
Trump attributed the removal to the arrest and removal of former President Nicolas Maduro, who is being tried in a New York federal court on drug trafficking charges.
Afghanistan, Bolivia, Burma, and Colombia were designated as having "failed demonstrably" in the recent report, which also criticized Mexico, Canada, Brazil, and Nicaragua.
The Trump administration announced on Tuesday it was redirecting $52 million in foreign military funding toward Latin America, away from partners in Europe and the Middle East.

Venezuela Delisting

The US removed Venezuela from its list of major drug transit or production countries, according to a statement submitted to Congress on Tuesday and released Wednesday. Trump said the move followed the arrest and removal of former President Nicolas Maduro, whom he called a "former illegitimate dictator and drug trafficker." Maduro was abducted by the US in January and is being tried in a New York City federal court on drug trafficking charges. Washington has been working with interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez, securing agreements for US oil companies to access resources in the oil-rich country.

Other Country Designations

Afghanistan, Bolivia, Burma, and Colombia were designated as having "failed demonstrably" in the recent report, which also criticized Mexico, Canada, Brazil, and Nicaragua. Trump praised Bolivia and Colombia for electing new conservative leaders that broke with previous leftist governments, saying he expects them to ramp up efforts at coca eradication and combating "narcoterrorist" groups. He said he would keep their designations in place for the time being.

Regional Realignment

Trump's statement said "dramatic political changes in South America over the past year have created historic openings for United States cooperation with governments in the region." Bolivia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Peru, Venezuela, and Colombia are now among those countries led by leaders who have aligned themselves with Trump. Many have also joined the Shield of the Americas programme, a regional US-led military and security alliance aimed at combating narcotics trafficking and other criminal activity. On Tuesday, the Trump administration announced it was redirecting $52 million in foreign military funding toward Latin America, away from partners in Europe and the Middle East.