The USS Stockdale , a U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, has entered the Caribbean Sea after a high-profile transit of the Panama Canal, reinforcing U.S. naval presence in the region.

The deployment is part of the Trump administration's efforts to disrupt narcotics trafficking networks linked to Venezuela. In Caracas, the Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello warned of a "devastating counterattack," in a sign of growing alarm there.

Newsweek has reached out to the U.S. State Department and the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry for comment.

Why It Matters

The Stockdale 's deployment is part of a sizable U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean region that now includes no less than five guided-missile destroyers. The assets are positioned to disrupt narcotics networks, b

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