Overview

• AFP journalists and local witnesses saw the guided-missile cruiser pass the Pedro Miguel lock around 21:30 local time Friday before continuing its roughly 80 km canal transit toward the Atlantic.
• The Ticonderoga-class USS Lake Erie had been moored at Rodman on the Pacific entrance in the days prior to entering the canal.
• Washington has accused President Nicolás Maduro of leading a drug cartel and raised the reward for his capture to $50 million.
• U.S. plans reported by local media indicate multiple guided-missile ships will operate in international waters near the limit with Venezuela in the coming days.
• Caracas says it has deployed 15,000 security personnel to the Colombia border and will patrol its waters with drones and navy ships, while Maduro touts millions of militiamen, a figure experts dispute.