President Donald Trump is weighing plans to strike alleged cocaine facilities inside Venezuela as the US military escalates its presence in the Caribbean, though officials say he has yet to make a final decision.
President Donald Trump is considering plans to target cocaine facilities and drug trafficking routes inside Venezuela, three US officials told CNN, though no final decision has been made.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the Navy’s advanced Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to the Caribbean, signaling a possible escalation. Trump has also authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela.
“There are plans on the table that the president is considering,” one administration official said, while another confirmed that planning was underway across government agencies.
Some officials believe the anti-drug campaign could pressure allies of President Nicolás Maduro and potentially trigger regime change.
Despite Venezuela not being a major cocaine producer, US officials have linked Maduro to narcotics trafficking.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime says most coca crops are in Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. “Nicolás Maduro is an indicted drug trafficker in the United States,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
Trump indicated he could strike drug traffickers without a congressional declaration of war. “We’re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country,” he told CNN.
The Pentagon said the naval redeployment aims to “dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations.”
Meanwhile, US military assets, including F-35 jets and MQ-9 drones, have been repositioned in Puerto Rico as Washington intensifies its focus on the Caribbean region.