- President Donald Trump has signed a classified order authorizing the U.S. military to conduct direct operations, including the use of force on foreign soil, against Latin American drug cartels.
- Several cartels, including Mexico’s Cártel de Sinaloa, El Salvador’s MS-13, Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles and Tren de Aragua, have been labeled Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs).
- Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is identified as the leader of Cartel de los Soles, responsible for drug trafficking into the U.S. and is central to recent U.S. efforts against narcoterrorism.
- The U.S. Department of State and Department of Justice increased the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest or conviction to $50 million under the Narcotics Rewards Program.
- The New York Times report did not specify which countries might be targeted or how U.S. operations will handle resistance from local forces in cartel-controlled regions.
President Donald Trump has signed a secret directive authorizing the U.S. military to conduct direct operations against Latin American drug cartels, including the use of force on foreign soil.
According to a report from the New York Times, the classified order instructs the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to initiate military operations at sea and within the territories of cartel-controlled regions. The directive represents a significant shift in U.S. policy, allowing the military to engage in combat actions beyond American borders against groups long involved in drug trafficking.
Several notorious cartels have been officially designated as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) since Trump’s return to the White House in January. The list includes the following:
- Mexico’s Cartel de Sinaloa
- El Salvador’s Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13)
- The Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang from Venezuela
- The Cartel de los Soles, believed to be led by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been vocal about the Trump administration’s stance, calling for a reevaluation of cartels as armed terrorist groups rather than merely criminal organizations. Rubio emphasized on Thursday, Aug. 7, that the SDGT designation enables the use of “all elements of American power, intelligence agencies [and] the DoD” to target these groups.
While the order opens the door for direct U.S. military intervention, the report did not specify which countries might face operations or the consequences if local forces resist U.S. action. Cartels operate across multiple countries in the region including Mexico, Venezuela and El Salvador. (Related: Mexican president rejects Trump’s offer to deploy U.S. troops against cartels.)
U.S. boosts reward for capture of Maduro, labeling him leader of narcoterrorist cartel
In a striking escalation, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) and Department of Justice (DOJ) meanwhile announced a significant increase in the reward offer for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Maduro for violations of U.S. narcotics laws. Under the the Narcotics Rewards Program (NRP), tipsters could receive u to $50 million.
“For over a decade, Maduro has been a leader of Cartel de los Soles, which is responsible for trafficking drugs into the U.S.,” the DOS said in a statement Thursday. Last month the U.S. Department of the Treasury assigned the SDGT designation to the Cartel de Los Soles.
“Since 2020, Maduro has strangled democracy and grasped at power in Venezuela. Maduro claimed to have won Venezuela’s July 28, 2024, presidential election but failed to present any evidence that he had prevailed. The United States has refused to recognize Maduro as the winner of the 2024 election and does not recognize him as the president of Venezuela,” the DOS continued.
Rubio reiterated this announcement in a separate post on his official account on X that same day. “Maduro must be brought to justice,” wrote the former senator for Florida.
Visit DrugCartels.news for more similar stories.
Watch this Feb. 20 episode of “Brighteon Broadcast News” as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, talks about USA military to wage war on drug cartels.
This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
Mexico warns U.S. against sovereignty violations as Trump targets drug cartels.
U.S. designates Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations, unleashing financial warfare.
Trump designates drug cartels as terrorist organizations, invokes Alien Enemies Act.
Sources include:
News.Antiwar.com
NYTimes.com
State.gov
X.com
Brighteon.com
Read full article here