Which Caribbean ports see the highest volumes of cocaine transshipments from Venezuela to the US?
Executive summary
Available reporting and official analyses show that the main cocaine flows to North America originate in the Andean states (Colombia, Peru, Bolivia) and are not primarily routed through Venezuelan Caribbean ports; UNODC and multiple reporting indicate Colombia supplies the vast majority of U.S.-bound cocaine, with Mexico a principal transit route [1] [2]. U.S. strikes and military pressure around Venezuela have focused attention on Caribbean maritime routes and specific Venezuelan coastal areas (e.g., Margarita Island, Güiria), but sources say Venezuela is more of a transit/secondary route than the primary origin for U.S.-bound cocaine [1] [3] [4].
1. What the international data say: the Andes, not Venezuelan ports, are the main origin
Authoritative syntheses cited in reporting point to Andean producers—especially Colombia—as the primary origin of cocaine destined for North America; the UNODC “World Drug Report 2025” and related analysis conclude trafficking flows to North America are not primarily routed through Venezuelan ports [1]. A 2024 DEA fact sheet and multiple fact-checks echo that about 90% of cocaine reaching the U.S. is produced in Colombia and reaches the U.S. via Mexico, with Venezuela not named as a main origin in those assessments [2].
2. Venezuela’s role: transit, secondary corridors, and coastal hotspots
Multiple investigative and regional reports describe Venezuela as serving a transit or secondary role for cocaine moving north—routes through Venezuelan territory, coastal fishing towns and offshore transshipment points exist, and local seizures and incidents have occurred—but that role is distinct from being the principal source of supply to the United States [1] [3]. Transparency and seizure data cited by Venezuela-focused analysts show many interdictions occur along the Colombia–Venezuela land border, underlining the neighboring Andean source dynamic [5].
3. Which Caribbean ports or areas see the most reported transshipments?
Available sources name several maritime hotspots and coastal zones connected to reported interdictions or U.S. operations: Margarita Island and the state of Sucre (including ports and fishing villages such as Güiria and Punta Arenas) have appeared repeatedly in reporting about seizures and U.S. strikes or interdictions [3] [6]. Reporting of joint operations and seizures in nearby Guyana, Suriname and the southern Caribbean also highlights transshipment activity through the Guianas and adjacent maritime routes rather than naming high-volume formal “ports” in the central Caribbean as the primary nodes [7].
4. What U.S. military and policy actions reveal—and obscure
The recent U.S. campaign of strikes and a reinforced Caribbean presence has targeted boats and alleged narco-transport vessels off Venezuela’s coast and has focused attention on coastal launch points and small airstrips; U.S. officials have identified facilities they contend sit “at the nexus” of trafficking [8]. Critics and some reporting argue these strikes may conflate deterrence and regime-change objectives, and that such military action will not substantially disrupt cartel networks rooted in Colombia and Mexico [4] [9]. Sources note the U.S. interdiction model historically intercepts a small share (roughly 4–6%) of maritime cocaine shipments on non‑commercial vessels, undercutting claims that kinetic operations alone can stop the flow [9].
5. Competing perspectives and limits of current reporting
U.S. officials and Treasury sanctions identify Guyana/Suriname and coastal Guianas as important transit corridors exploited by traffickers operating between South America and the Caribbean [7]. Other U.S. and media claims single out Venezuelan coastal facilities and even accuse elements within the Venezuelan state of facilitating shipments—claims that remain politically charged and contested by analysts who point to broader Andean production patterns [8] [2]. Available sources do not provide a clear, sourced ranking of “the highest-volume Caribbean ports” for cocaine transshipments from Venezuela to the U.S.; they emphasize corridors, islands and coastal nodes [1] [7] [3].
6. What is missing and how to interpret the evidence
Detailed volumetric port-by-port transshipment data are not present in the provided reporting; public international datasets referenced (UNODC, DEA) characterize regional flows but do not list discrete Caribbean ports ranked by cocaine volume in the supplied sources [1] [2]. Analysts and law-enforcement officials use seizure incidents, sanction designations and intelligence-led interdictions to draw patterns—these indicate hotspots like Margarita Island, Sucre coast/Güiria, and the Guianas region—but the evidence does not support a definitive list of high-volume formal ports for Venezuelan transshipments to the U.S. [3] [7].
Bottom line: reporting and international assessments portray Venezuela as a significant transit area in parts, with specific coastal hotspots (Margarita Island, Sucre/Güiria, and routes via the Guianas) drawing most media and enforcement attention, yet the bulk of U.S.-bound cocaine is produced in the Andean countries and typically transits via Colombian/Mexican routes rather than being primarily shipped through Venezuelan Caribbean ports [1] [3] [2].