NewsTracker Answers for week of Sep. 08, 2025

Q: US forces last week destroyed a speed boat allegedly carrying illegal narcotics from Venezuela, killing 11 people the Trump administration identified as gang members. Where is Venezuela on the Caribbean coast of South America?

Circle the area on this map


Q: Venezuela produces very little cocaine, but it is a transit hub for the world’s largest producer. What nation on Venezuela’s western border produces most of the world’s cocaine?

A. Argentina

B. Bolivia

C. Colombia

D. Peru


C. Colombia grows 65% of the world’s coca, which is used to make cocaine. Peru is the second-largest producer, at 27%, followed by Bolivia at 8%. About 10% of the world’s cocaine flows through Venezuela with the help of government officials, according to US estimates. However, more than five times more Colombian cocaine flows through Central America.


Q: Secretary of State Marco Rubio said cocaine and fentanyl shipped from Venezuela often end up in Puerto Rico and then make their way to the US mainland. Where is almost all illegal fentanyl produced?

A. Colombia

B. Mexico

C. United States

D. Venezuela


B. The Illegal fentanyl blamed for thousands of overdose deaths in the United States is almost entirely made in Mexico with chemicals imported from China, according to the US Drug Enforcement Agency. Fentanyl is an opioid painkiller 10 times more potent than heroin and 50 times more potent than oral morphine. Venezuela has virtually no role in the fentanyl trade.


Q: Since President Richard Nixon declared America’s “War on Drugs” in 1971, the rate of US overdose deaths has shot up more than 8 times, to more than 100,000 people dying every year. Which US state has the highest rate of overdose deaths?

A. California

B. Delaware

C. Tennessee

D. West Virginia


D. West Virginia had 81.9 overdose deaths for every 100,000 of its people in 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control. It was followed by Delaware at 53 deaths per 100,000 and Tennessee at 52.2 per 100,000. California is the most populous state and has the most overdose deaths – more than 10,000 a year. But, its deaths per 100,000 people is 27.9.


Q: The United States has accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of overseeing narcotics smuggling. US military forces near Venezuela increased rapidly before and after last week’s boat sinking. What Latin American nation did the United States invade in 1989 after accusing its leader of drug trafficking?

A. Haiti

B. Mexico

C. Nicaragua

D. Panama


D. The purpose ot the invasion was to remove General Manuel Noriega as Panama’s de facto ruler, who had ousted a president and annulled the results of a general election. After US forces took control, Noriega was arrested, tried in the United States, and sentenced to 20 years. The United States has invaded Haiti, Mexico, and Nicaragua multiple times.