A US aircraft carrier strike group has moved into the Caribbean Sea as part of President Donald Trump’s intensified anti-narcotics initiative, a deployment that is expected to heighten tensions with Venezuela. The announcement came Sunday from US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which oversees US military operations in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The USS Gerald R. Ford, the Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier, is accompanied by two guided-missile destroyers and multiple support vessels and aircraft. SOUTHCOM said the move aligns with Trump’s directive to dismantle transnational criminal organizations and counter “narco-terrorism.” The deployment, known as Operation Southern Spear, adds to other US warships already operating in the region.

As part of the same initiative, US forces carried out another strike Saturday in the eastern Pacific, killing three people aboard a boat Washington claims was involved in drug trafficking. According to an AFP tally based on publicly released figures, at least 83 people accused of transporting drugs have been killed by US forces in international waters since the campaign began in September. The US has not provided evidence that those targeted in more than 20 such strikes were drug traffickers. Experts have warned that the killings constitute extrajudicial executions, regardless of whether the individuals were involved in trafficking.

Venezuela sees the buildup as a direct threat. Washington does not recognize Nicolás Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate president and has placed a $50 million bounty on him, accusing him of leading a drug cartel. Reports have circulated that Trump recently consulted military advisers on possible options regarding Venezuela. Speaking to reporters Friday, he said he had “sort of” made up his mind but offered no specifics, claiming only that the US had made progress in curbing drug flows from the country.

The US has also been increasing its military presence in neighboring Trinidad and Tobago. Joint exercises between US and Trinidadian forces were set to begin Sunday — the second round in less than a month. Maduro condemned the drills on Saturday, calling them “irresponsible.”