CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela will send military vessels to the Caribbean Sea and other waters to combat drug trafficking, the country's defense minister announced Tuesday. The move comes as tensions with the U.S. simmer over the deployment of three warships to the region.
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López said the vessels will patrol the Gulf of Venezuela as well as the country's “territorial waters” in the Caribbean. In an Instagram reel, Padrino added that about 15,000 members of the armed forces will participate in efforts on land and at sea to fight “ the armed, terrorist, drug-trafficking groups operating on the border” with Colombia.
Padrino announced the operation more than a week after the U.S. government announced the deployment of three guided-missile destroyers to the waters off Venezuela to combat threats from Latin American drug cartels. Venezuela's initial response to the deployment was to call on Venezuelans to enlist in a volunteer militia meant to assist the armed forces in the defense of external and domestic attacks.
The move to deploy U.S. destroyers and personnel comes as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes for using the military to thwart cartels he blames for the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs into American communities and for perpetuating violence in some U.S. cities.
On Monday, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro insisted during a weekly television show that his country, unlike neighboring Colombia, is “free of coca leaf crops and free of cocaine production.” He also criticized the U.S. government for not addressing the drug consumption within its borders.
In a separate announcement Tuesday, Padrino said an ongoing operation in Venezuela's northeastern corner had resulted in the dismantling of shipyards where criminals intended “to manufacture semisubmersibles and boats to transport drugs by sea” to markets in Europe and North America.
FILE - Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez waves as he arrives to a press conference by President Nicolas Maduro at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 25, 2019. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)
KOHALA, Hawai‘i--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 15, 2026--
Kuleana Rum Works, the Hawai‘i-based distillery known for its additive-free, award-winning rums, today announced the release of “An Open Letter on Additive-Free Rum,” written by Founder & CEO Steve Jefferson, addressing why rum is now facing the same scrutiny and market shift that reshaped tequila a decade ago.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260107792953/en/
Consumers across spirits are demanding more honesty about how products are made. Additive-free labeling has already transformed tequila and is reshaping whiskey and RTDs. Drinkers now expect producers to protect natural flavor instead of masking it, and bartenders increasingly use transparency as a measure of quality. The letter positions rum as the next category entering this accountability cycle, as more consumers begin to question undisclosed sweeteners, flavorings and added color.
Tequila provides the clearest precedent. Producers who embraced additive-free methods helped premiumize the category, while brands relying on undisclosed additives now face growing skepticism. According to the letter, rum is approaching the same turning point. Jefferson explains that Kuleana Rum Works was founded on additive-free principles: growing heirloom Hawaiian kō (sugarcane), fermenting and distilling fresh juice at lower proof to preserve natural character, adding nothing after distillation and holding all blending partners to the same standards. Every rum — whether distilled in Hawai‘i or sourced — is verified additive-free through independent lab testing and supplier documentation.
“Consumer expectations are changing fast across spirits,” said Steve Jefferson, Founder and CEO of Kuleana Rum Works. “People want honesty in what they drink, and they’re rewarding producers who protect natural flavor rather than covering it up. Additive-free isn’t a trend — it’s becoming the standard, and rum is now facing that shift head-on.”
Additional detail in the letter underscores how production choices such as fresh juice fermentation, low-proof distillation and a strict no-additives policy create transparency and flavor integrity that align with what the market is valuing.
About Kuleana Rum Works
Founded on the island of Hawai‘i in 2013, Kuleana Rum Works crafts award-winning, additive-free rums — led by its signature Hawaiian Rum Agricole® — from fresh kō (heirloom Hawaiian sugarcane) grown on its regenerative Kohala farm. Now available in 17 states and Japan, Kuleana Rum Works champions excellence, transparency and community stewardship. Visit kuleanarum.com to learn more.
https://kuleanarum.com/additive-free/
