US Plans Continued Military Strikes on Latin American Drug Cartels

President Donald Trump's administration has escalated its campaign against Latin American drug cartels by authorizing lethal military strikes against narco-terrorist vessels, as exemplified by a recent attack on a Venezuelan gang's ship in international waters that killed 11 cartel members. Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that traditional interdiction efforts have failed to stop drug smuggling because cartels factor losses into their operations, and that only by destroying these vessels can the threat be truly diminished. Trump justified the strike by stating it would deter future smuggling attempts and send a clear message to drug traffickers, asserting that the strike was necessary to protect American lives from the influx of deadly drugs. The administration has designated certain cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and is prepared to continue such aggressive operations, with Rubio warning that similar strikes will happen again. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro condemned the U.S. deployment as an imperial threat, while U.S. officials accused Maduro of running a narco-state. The Trump administration remains firm in its stance to wage war on narcoterrorist groups to safeguard national security and public safety.