President Donald Trump directed a deadly strike on a suspected drug-running boat, War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday. (SecWar/X)
A White House official stressed that the report "does not convey any new information," noting that it followed a Sept. 15 strike against a designated terrorist organization after earlier operations in the Caribbean.
Immediately after the report was delivered, the Department of War carried out its fourth strike on suspected traffickers in the Caribbean, killing four in international waters off the coast of Venezuela.
"A boat loaded with enough drugs to kill 25 TO 50 THOUSAND PEOPLE was stopped, early this morning off the Coast of Venezuela, from entering American Territory," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The new memo effectively shifts U.S. operations against drug cartels from a law-enforcement model — arrests and prosecutions — to a wartime paradigm that allows for lethal force and detention without trial. Like the post-9/11 War on Terror, the administration argues that drug cartels are "unlawful combatants" and can be targeted militarily rather than treated as criminals.
Administration officials maintain this approach is legally justified, while critics warn it stretches presidential authority.
TRUMP APPROVES MILITARY ACTION AGAINST LATIN AMERICAN CARTELS CLASSIFIED AS TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS
Under Article II of the Constitution, presidents may use force to repel sudden attacks. The Trump administration argues drugs that have killed more than 100,000 Americans per year in recent years constitute an urgent national security threat, granting authority for the strikes.
But national security lawyers say that authority is limited.
"That’s a far cry from authorizing an ongoing series of strikes," wrote Georgetown law professor Marty Lederman, who argued such a campaign would amount to "war in the constitutional sense" and therefore require congressional approval.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores ride in a military vehicle during Independence Day celebrations in Caracas on July 5, 2025. (JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images)
He added that Venezuela lacks the capacity to retaliate against overwhelming U.S. force. "They don’t have the ability to intercept an F-35 or match the firepower already in the Caribbean," Garmendia said.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro, facing an election year, may adopt an "anti-imperialist" posture toward U.S. escalation but is unlikely to provide material support to Maduro, while Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva may try to discourage strikes but is not expected to openly defend Caracas.
"Maduro’s regime is essentially a drug cartel that captured an entire country," Garmendia said. "I don’t see Lula putting his hands on the fire to save him."
Trump has also moved to cut off diplomatic channels with Caracas, instructing his special envoy, Richard Grenell, to suspend all outreach efforts to Venezuela, the New York Times reported. This shift marks a further turn toward a hardline posture: now, rather than negotiate, the White House is doubling down on military leverage as its primary tool.
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With Friday’s strike, a total of 21 people have been reported killed across four operations over the past month. The U.S. has also repositioned 10 F-35 jets to Puerto Rico for counter-narcotics missions, and the Pentagon is weighing strike options inside Venezuelan territory.
Maduro responded this week by declaring a state of emergency over what he called U.S. "aggression." Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said Maduro signed a decree granting himself "special powers" to act in defense if the U.S. "dares to attack our homeland.
Legally, the White House says the president’s authority covers limited strikes for now. But unless Congress signs off before November, the operation could spark a fresh war-powers showdown.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/war-cartels-white-house-says-has-iron-clad-case-strike-narcoterrorist-groups