(../../../../favicon_aje.ico) US removes Venezuela from drug list, Trump says | Donald Trump News | Al Jazeera    (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/16/us-removes-venezuela-from-list-of-drug-transit-production-countries)                                               (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2026/9/16/us-removes-venezuela-from-list-of-drug-transit-production-countries)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/getty_6aaaeeb812-1789587128.jpg?resize=1920%2C1440)  (../../../../wp-content/uploads/2026/09/getty_6aaaeeb812-1789587128.jpg@resize=770,513&quality=80)     (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org/scripttemplates/otSDKStub.js) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (../../../../static/css/vendor~main~d08ff9cb.24bf1742.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~748942c6.6c6e15fe.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~b07b7304.e3bc53a0.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~6e6dca10.74fd263a.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~5db14389.c7afea12.r2.chunk.css) (https://www.aljazeera.com/static/media/Roboto-Bold.52bb58c8.woff2) (https://www.aljazeera.com/static/media/Roboto-Regular.c5bf51b6.woff2)  (../../../../static/css/vendor~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-blo~5f903362.2e08e417.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-~41c72a2c.3f309873.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-~06be7c11.0625e98d.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/common~493df0b3.ec3ab9b5.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/pages/article-page~493df0b3.accd71c7.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/common~493df0b3.ec3ab9b5.r2.chunk.css)   Skip links (us-removes-venezuela-from-list-of-drug-transit-production-countries@traffic_source=rss.html#main-content-area) Skip to Content  (https://www.aljazeera.com/)          (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Sign up  Show navigation menu     Navigation menu (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/) News    Show more news sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/africa/) Africa   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia/) Asia   (https://www.aljazeera.com/us-canada/) US & Canada   (https://www.aljazeera.com/latin-america/) Latin America   (https://www.aljazeera.com/europe/) Europe   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia-pacific/) Asia Pacific      (https://www.aljazeera.com/middle-east/) Middle East   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/explainer/) Explained   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sports) Sport   (https://www.aljazeera.com/opinion/) Opinion   (https://www.aljazeera.com/videos/) Video   More   Show more sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/features/) Features   (https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/) Economy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/human-rights/) Human Rights   (https://www.aljazeera.com/climate-crisis) Climate Crisis   (https://www.aljazeera.com/investigations/) Investigations   (https://www.aljazeera.com/interactives/) Interactives   (https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/) In Pictures   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/science-and-technology/) Science & Technology   (https://www.aljazeera.com/audio/podcasts) Podcasts   (https://www.aljazeera.com/travel) Travel   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored/) Sponsored Content        (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Click here to search search     Sign up        Navigation menu caret-left    (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/donald-trump/) Donald Trump    (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/this-is-america/2026/7/28/trump-netanyahu-and-the-iran-question) Trump, Netanyahu and the Iran question   (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/the-bottom-line/2026/5/24/how-will-iran-war-fallout-impact-upcoming-us-elections) How Iran war fallout may shape US elections   (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2026/5/19/how-the-shape-of-a-map-can-determine-the-us-midterm-elections) A visual guide to redistricting     caret-right         (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/) News |(https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/donald-trump/) Donald Trump   US removes Venezuela from drug list, Trump says Trump says country has made progress against narcotics since Maduro’s removal, may also remove Colombia and Bolivia.   Listen   Listen (2 mins)       Save       Share US removes Venezuela from drug list, Trump says on social media share-nodes    Share (https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Flmwfd1) facebook      (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=US%20removes%20Venezuela%20from%20drug%20list%2C%20Trump%20says&source=sharethiscom&related=sharethis&via=AJEnglish&url=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Flmwfd1) x    (whatsapp://send?text=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Flmwfd1) whatsapp-stroke    (https://aje.news/lmwfd1)  copylink          google       Add Al Jazeera on Google  info      (CARACAS, VENEZUELA - SEPTEMBER 2: (L-R) U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodríguez gesture during a press conference regarding the oil agreement reached by the US government and Venezuela on September 2, 2026 in Caracas, Venezuela. According to the agreement, the United States government will gain control over 65 billion barrels of proven oil reserves in Venezuela, representing investments on infrastructure up to US$100 billion, as well as tax revenue for the Venezuelan government of approximately US$200 billion over the first 25 years. (Photo by Jesus Vargas/Getty Images))   US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodriguez during a press conference on the US-Venezuelan oil agreement in Caracas, September 2, 2026 [Jesus Vargas/Getty]   (https://www.aljazeera.com/author/umar_farooq_2014213134859586580)     By  (https://www.aljazeera.com/author/umar_farooq_2014213134859586580) Umar Farooq and Reuters   Published On 16 Sep 2026 16 Sep 2026    United States President Donald Trump’s administration has decided to remove from its list of countries which have failed to demonstrably combat illegal drug trafficking for the first time in more than 20 years, and is considering removing Colombia and Bolivia. “In Venezuela, thanks to my Administration’s arrest and removal of former illegitimate dictator and drug trafficker Nicolas Maduro, we are already seeing the results of growing cooperation with the country’s interim government against cartels,” Trump said in a statement submitted to the US Congress on Tuesday and released Wednesday. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/7/rubio-heads-to-ecuador-colombia-peru-after-right-wing-victories-in-region) Rubio heads to Ecuador, Colombia, Peru after right-wing victories in region  list 2 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/9/marco-rubio-says-us-seeks-more-economic-and-security-ties-in-latin-america) Marco Rubio says US seeks more economic and security ties in Latin America  list 3 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/features/longform/2026/9/13/as-chavez-and-maduro-images-disappear-is-venezuela-entering-a-new-chapter) As Chavez and Maduro images disappear, is Venezuela entering a new chapter?   end of list  The US abducted Maduro, a leftist and long-time critic of Washington, in January and is (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/3/venezuelas-maduro-asserts-immunity-in-us-court-urges-dismissal-of-charges) trying him in a New York City federal court on drug trafficking charges. Washington has since been working with interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez, securing agreements for US oil companies to (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/8/30/delcy-rodriguez-says-venezuela-retains-sovereignty-despite-us-oil-deal) access resources in the oil-rich country. Under US law, the president must inform lawmakers annually about other countries’ efforts at combating narcotics production and trafficking. Afghanistan, Bolivia, Burma, and Colombia were designated as having “failed demonstrably” by Trump in the recent report, which also criticised Mexico, Canada, Brazil and Nicaragua. Trump praised Bolivia and Colombia for electing new conservative leaders that broke with previous leftist governments, saying he expects them to ramp up efforts at coca eradication and combating “narcoterrorist” groups but would keep their designations in place for the time being. Advertisement    “Dramatic political changes in South America over the past year have created historic openings for United States cooperation with governments in the region,” Trump’s statement said, alluding to the (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/7/rubio-heads-to-ecuador-colombia-peru-after-right-wing-victories-in-region) wave of right-wing leaders that have replaced leftists who were critical of Washington in the region. Bolivia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Peru, Venezuela and Colombia are now among those countries led by leaders who have aligned themselves with Trump. Many have also joined the (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/10/peru-joins-us-led-shield-of-the-americas-security-alliance) Shield of the Americas programme, a regional US-led military and security alliance, which members say is aimed at combating narcotics trafficking and other criminal activity in the region. On Tuesday, the Trump administration announced it was redirecting $52m in foreign military funding towards Latin America, away from partners in Europe and the Middle East.            aj-logo             aj-logo             aj-logo       Advertisement          About About   Show more  (https://www.aljazeera.com/about-us) About Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/code-of-ethics/) Code of Ethics   (https://www.aljazeera.com/terms-and-conditions/) Terms and Conditions   (https://www.aljazeera.com/eu-eea-regulatory/) EU/EEA Regulatory Notice   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/) Privacy Policy   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/cookie/) Cookie Policy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Cookie Preferences    (https://trust.aljazeera.net/accessibility/) Accessibility Statement   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sitemap) Sitemap   (https://careers.aljazeera.net/) Work for us      Connect Connect   Show more  (https://network.aljazeera.net/en/contact?tid=6) Contact Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/user-accounts-help) User Accounts Help   (https://commercial.aljazeera.net/) Advertise with us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/stay-connected) Stay Connected   (https://www.aljazeera.com/newsletters) Newsletters   (https://sat.aljazeera.net/en) Channel Finder   (https://www.aljazeera.com/schedule/) TV Schedule   (https://www.aljazeera.com/podcasts/) Podcasts   (https://webapps.aljazeera.net/aje/tips/) Submit a Tip   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored) Paid Partner Content      Our Channels Our Channels   Show more  (http://aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Arabic   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Al Jazeera English   (https://www.ajiunit.com/) Al Jazeera Investigative Unit   (https://www.aljazeeramubasher.net/) Al Jazeera Mubasher   (http://doc.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Documentary   (http://balkans.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Balkans   (http://ajplus.net/) AJ+      Our Network Our Network   Show more  (http://studies.aljazeera.net/en/) Al Jazeera Centre for Studies   (http://training.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Media Institute   (http://learning.aljazeera.net/) Learn Arabic   (http://liberties.aljazeera.com/en) Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights   (http://forum.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Forum   (https://hotels.aljazeera.net/en) Al Jazeera Hotel Partners        Follow Al Jazeera English: (https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera) facebook       (https://twitter.com/ajenglish) twitter     (https://www.youtube.com/aljazeeraenglish) youtube     (https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/?hl=en) instagram-colored-outline                          (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml) rss     (https://bsky.app/profile/aljazeera.com) bluesky     (https://www.tiktok.com/@aljazeeraenglish) tiktok-colored-outline                  (Al Jazeera Media Network logo)   © 2026 Al Jazeera Media Network