Trump's shadow war on drugs Fishermen in the Caribbean now fear for their lives
The military actions ordered by US President Trump against drug smugglers from Venezuela are putting fishermen in Trinidad and Tobago in a difficult situation. They fear for their livelihood - and for their lives.
10.10.2025, 23:01
dpa
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- Since the US attacks on drug boats, fishermen increasingly fear for their lives.
- US President Donald Trump recently declared an "armed conflict" with drug cartels in the Caribbean.
- Venezuela, meanwhile, is accusing the USA of military aggression.
- President Nicolás Maduro has put the military and all combat-ready civilians on high alert.
Kenrick Modie untangles his fishing net and then lies down in a hammock in his house overlooking the Caribbean Sea. He is worried that his life and livelihood could be destroyed by a US military attack. Modie lives in the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, which has recently become embroiled in a geopolitical confrontation between the United States and Venezuela, just 18 kilometers away.
US President Donald Trump is giving "orders to shoot people", says Modie, alluding to the recent US attacks on ships of suspected drug smugglers in the Caribbean. The US military has also recently increased its presence in the region. "What could we do? We are just a small dot."
His concern has grown since Trump stated that the US was in an "armed conflict" with drug cartels in the Caribbean and that their members were classified as unlawful combatants. He accused them of wanting to bring "deadly poison" to the coasts of the USA. On Friday last week, Defense Minister Pete Hegseth announced the fourth attack on a small boat of suspected drug smugglers off the coast of Venezuela.
Venezuela's army on high alert
Venezuela accused the USA of military aggression. President Nicolás Maduro put the country's military and all combat-ready civilians on high alert. Between the opponents lies Trinidad and Tobago, a country with a multi-million dollar fishing industry that employs thousands of fishermen. They cast their nets almost daily to feed themselves and their families.
The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, has stated that drug cartels have contributed to suffering and misery in her country. She called on the USA to "kill them all by force". She said she was prepared to grant the US access to the territory of Trinidad and Tobago if necessary so that the Americans could defend Guyana, as Venezuela claims two-thirds of neighboring Guyana as its own territory.
Maduro said that Persad-Bissessar's willingness to grant the USA access to their country was tantamount to a declaration of war against Venezuela. The Venezuelan president called for a return to good relations with his Caribbean neighbor. The government of Trinidad and Tobago, meanwhile, has declared that there are no hostilities between the two countries.
"When we die, we die, that's life"
While politicians are exchanging words and military commanders are increasingly posturing, dozens of fishermen in Trinidad and Tobago feel their livelihoods are threatened by the ongoing US attacks and the escalation of tensions with Venezuela. "If we die, we die, that's life," says Modie.
He fears being killed by a US attack while fishing because his boat could be mistaken for one used by drug smugglers. He says he knows of no hard evidence that the people killed in the US attacks were actually carrying drugs. He is also concerned that innocent fishermen are being killed and falsely labeled as drug terrorists by the authorities. After all, the dead can no longer prove their innocence.
Fishermen threatened by pirates
At the narrowest point, Trinidad and Venezuela are separated by just over eleven kilometers. On clear days, Venezuela can be seen from the village of Icacos on the south-western tip of Trinidad. Around Icacos and the neighboring village of Cedros, dozens of boats lie on the beach - a sign of how much these communities depend on fishing. Fishermen in the two villages say they are already under threat from pirates, and the military build-up at sea is now adding to the danger.
Kamal Bikeran watches three other fishermen unloading their daily catch in Cedros and says his boat crew now stay in shallower waters and don't go out to sea as far because of the tensions between the three countries. You have to be vigilant: "You could be taken out there at any time." Bikeran and other fishermen report that the increasing tensions in the region are destroying their livelihoods, as they catch less fish in shallower waters.
Trump: "I don't even know what's going on with the fishermen"
Trump addressed the fate of fishermen directly after the first US military attack on September 2, in which he said eleven suspected drug terrorists were killed. "Shipping has dropped off considerably," Trump said. "I don't even know what's going on with the fishermen. Maybe they're saying, 'I'm not going on the boat anymore'."
During the general debate at the UN General Assembly at the end of September, politicians from the region described the Caribbean as a zone of peace. The Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, called for a dialog with the aim of preventing a war between the USA and Venezuela. The Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, described the militarization of the waters near Venezuela as "extremely worrying".
Fishing in fear has become the new reality, says Shyam Hajarie, who has been a fisherman for more than 40 years. The man from Cedros, like others, relies on his daily catch to feed his family. He is not sure whether the military build-up in the Caribbean will soon have an impact on fish prices on the market. "I just pray that everything works out between Venezuela and the US," says Hajarie. "That they make peace and don't go to war."
