A US guided-missile destroyer that docked for four days in Trinidad and Tobago, within firing range of mainland Venezuela — which called its presence a "provocation" — has departed as scheduled, AFP news agency said it witnessed.
The USS Gravely that left the area on Thursday arrived in Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday, deepening a diplomatic row with Caracas over US military activity in the Caribbean.
During the warship's stay in the two-island nation off Venezuela's coast, a contingent of US Marines conducted joint training with local defence forces, part of a mounting military campaign that US President Donald Trump says is against drug-trafficking organisations in Latin America.
US strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in international waters in the Caribbean and Pacific have killed at least 62 people in recent weeks.
Trump's administration accuses Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro of being a "drug lord", an allegation he denies. US has issued a $50 million reward for information leading to his capture.
Venezuela's battle against drug trafficking
Maduro maintains Venezuela doesn't cultivate drugs, but is unwillingly used as a route for Colombian cocaine trafficking.
On Wednesday, Maduro said his country had intercepted three planes allegedly used for drug trafficking.
Venezuela's military also reported destroying two Colombian "narcotrafficking terrorist" camps, seizing ammunition and vehicles.
The head of Venezuela's armed forces strategic command, General Domingo Hernandez Larez, said that pamphlets of the Colombian ELN guerrilla group were found during the camp raids.
The ELN (or National Liberation Army) insurgency group controls territory near the Venezuelan border, a key source of coca and a gateway for Colombian cocaine destined for global markets.
The US has also placed sanctions on Colombia's President Gustavo Petro, accusing him of failing to curb drug trafficking and allowing cartels to "flourish".
Trump has put the United States on a war footing in the Caribbean, raising speculation he will forcefully depose Venezuela's Maduro.
Venezuela said on Monday it dismantled a CIA-financed cell plotting a false-flag attack against the USS Gravely.
The Pentagon has so far deployed seven warships to the Caribbean and one to the Gulf of Mexico, ostensibly for anti-drug operations.
Last week, it dispatched the USS Gerald R Ford, the world's largest warship, to the region.
Experts say the attacks on alleged drug trafficking boats amount to extrajudicial killings, even if they target known traffickers.
