A U.S. court auction of Venezuelan-owned U.S. refiner Citgo is heating up after delays as bidders raise their offers, good news for creditors seeking compensation from the South American nation for debt defaults and a wave of nationalizations under late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced on Monday the deployment of 4.5 million militiamen throughout the country after the United States doubled the reward for information leading to his arrest and increased the number of troops sailing around Latin America and the Caribbean.

The U.S. deployed three Navy missile destroyers and around 4,000 military personnel to the waters off Venezuela in effort to thwart cartels.

The U.S. military has also reportedly deployed several vessels to the southern Caribbean, as part of President Trump's crackdown on Latin American drug cartels.

The president has "pushed for using the U.S. military to thwart cartels he blames for the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs," said The Associated Press. As part of this military force, Trump dispatched a trio of U.

In an effort to crack down on drug cartels, a source briefed on the matter tells NBC News that three U.S. warships will be sent near Venezuela. A U.S. official says the ships will be used for intel gathering and surveillance from international waters.

China Concord Resources Corp has begun developing two Venezuelan oilfields, planning to invest more than $1 billion in a project to produce 60,000 barrels per day of crude oil by end-2026, an executive directly involved in the project said.

Venezuela and Aruba face off in the Little League World Series on Thursday. The winner will advance to the International Bracket Championship.