The United States has engaged in efforts to counter drug operations in Latin America. In 1989, president George H. W. Bush ordered the invasion of Panama to depose the country's de facto dictator, Manuel Noriega. The invasion was condemned by the United Nations General Assembly as a "flagrant violation of international law". The United States later provided intelligence about flights with civilians suspected to be carrying drugs to Columbian and Peruvian officials; after several planes were shot down, the Clinton administration ceased its assistance in providing information. Additionally, the United States Navy has intercepted ships believed to be used for drug smuggling operations. The United States Armed Forces broadly engage in joint anti-drug training exercises with other countries, including Colombia and Mexico.[5]
According to A Sacred Oath (2022), president Donald Trump proposed bombing drug labs in Mexico.[6] As a presidential candidate for the 2024 election, Trump invoked the issue of military intervention in Mexico several times.[5] After Trump's victory, Mexican officials expressed concern that Trump would authorize strikes against drug cartels.[7]Ronald D. Johnson, Trump's nominee for ambassador to Mexico, did not rule out the possibility of military strikes on cartels in his confirmation hearing.[8] Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum publicly opposed the prospect of U.S. drone strikes on cartels in April.[9] In May, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump, speaking to Sheinbaum the previous month, proposed sending in U.S. soldiers to assist in the country's drug war, a suggestion she rejected.[10]
The Central Intelligence Agency, for its part, also joined the military campaign after confirming that it would play a significant role in combating drug cartels, just as it is considering using lethal force against these criminal organizations.[13]
According to The New York Times, "specialists in the laws of war and executive power" stated that Trump lacks the legal authority and precedent to kill suspected drug smugglers.[14]
On August 20, 2025, Donald Trump ordered the United States Department of Defense to send three Navy warships to the coast of South America.[16] As of August 29, seven U.S. warships, along with one nuclear-powered fast attack submarine, were in and around the Southern Caribbean, bringing along more than 4,500 sailors and marines.[17] Meanwhile, Venezuela mobilized 4.5 million soldiers.[18][19] Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said he "would constitutionally declare a republic in arms" if the country is attacked by forces that the United States government has deployed to the Caribbean and stated "Venezuela is confronting the biggest threat that has been seen on our continent in the last 100 years".[20][21]
On September 2, Trump stated that the U.S. had executed a strike on a boat believed to be carrying drugs, killing eleven suspected gang members.[22] The following day, secretary of defense Pete Hegseth stated that military actions against cartels in Venezuela would continue.[23] Secretary of state Marco Rubio, speaking in Mexico City, said that further strikes would occur, adding that the U.S. was aware of the identities of those on the destroyed boat, but did not provide evidence to authenticate their identity as Tren de Aragua members.[24]
On September 4, in response to the presence of Navy warships in Latin America, two Venezuelan BMAF-16 fighter jets flew over the USS Jason Dunham.[25] The U.S. Department of Defense called it “highly provocative” and has deployed ten F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico.[26][27] That same day Rubio met with Ecuadorian President Daniel Naboa in Quito; Rubio declared that “It’s a war. It’s a war on killers. It’s a war on terror,” and designated the gangs Los Lobos and Los Choneros as narco terrorists.[28][29]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
United States 
Venezuela 
Cartel of the Suns (alleged)
CJNG 
Sinaloa Cartel 
LNFM 
