SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AFP)—US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday will visit the Dominican Republic, a close US Caribbean ally, for talks on combatting drug trafficking amid a standoff between Washington and Venezuela, officials said.

The Pentagon confirmed the visit, which comes as President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on his Venezuelan arch-foe Nicolas Maduro, accused by Washington of heading a drug cartel.

Hegseth’s office said Tuesday he would meet with Dominican President Luis Abinader, his defense minister and other cabinet members “to strengthen defense relationships and reaffirm America’s commitment to defend the homeland, protect our regional partners and ensure stability and security across the Americas.”

The announcement came a day after the United States designated an alleged Venezuelan drug cartel, Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns), as a foreign terrorist organisation.

The FTO designation gives the Trump administration legal cover for more action against Venezuelan authorities.

The Venezuelan government on Tuesday organised an anti-US march through capital Caracas in protest of the designation.

“They always invent a scenario, like the scenario they invented with (Saddam) Hussein, with (Muammar) Gaddafi, to destroy these people, these countries,” Candido Miquilarena, a 63-year-old community leader at the march, told AFP.

Washington has meanwhile also ramped up military pressure on Caracas, deploying the world’s biggest aircraft carrier to the area, along with a raft of warships.

Caracas accuses Washington of using its war on drugs as a cover for an operation aimed at toppling the firebrand Maduro.

US strikes on a string of alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific have left dozens dead since September.

The Dominican Republic has been cooperating with the US operations.

Authorities in the country, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, announced earlier this month that they had seized about 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) of cocaine from a boat intercepted during a joint operation with US forces.

“We continue working with the United States because this is a tough fight, especially in some countries, mainly in South America, that have seen an increase in drug production, particularly cocaine,” Abinader said Tuesday.