WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States is sending air and naval forces to the Southern Caribbean in a new push to counter threats from Latin American drug cartels, according to two sources briefed on the matter.
Details of the mission remain limited, but sources say the decision follows President Donald Trump’s longstanding aim to take direct military action against drug trafficking networks that Washington has labeled as global terrorist organizations. The Pentagon had been instructed to draw up possible operational plans prior to the move.
Cracking down on drug cartels has been a key priority for the Trump administration, forming part of a broader strategy to strengthen border security and curb illegal migration. In recent months, the U.S. has already dispatched at least two warships to assist in anti-trafficking and border security operations.
One source said the deployment is “intended to address threats to U.S. national security posed by specially designated narco-terrorist organizations operating in the region.”
Earlier this year, the administration classified Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, and several other groups as global terrorist organizations. The move coincided with heightened immigration enforcement targeting suspected cartel affiliates.
The U.S. military has also ramped up aerial surveillance of Mexican drug cartels, gathering intelligence to better disrupt trafficking operations. President Trump has previously offered to send U.S. troops into Mexico to aid in anti-drug operations—a proposal the Mexican government has rejected.
