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The United States is increasing its military power and sending more ships off the coast of Venezuela and into Ca­ribbean waters to disrupt drug cartels.

As the American arsenal intensifies, Venez­uela President Nicolas Maduro remains defiant, deploying 15,000 troops to the Venezuelan border near Colombia and mobilising tankers.

Reuters reported on Monday that in addition to the three warships already deployed to the region, Washington will send the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie and the nuclear-powered fast attack submarine USS Newport News to Caribbean waters by early next week.