Saildrone Voyagers SD-2040 and SD-2041 equipped with 200W radars in the Caribbean Sea. (MediaValet)
As President Donald Trump shuts down the U.S. southern and northern borders, smugglers are expected to look for alternative routes to carry out their illegal trafficking business. Human and drug trafficking cartels have increasingly turned to the nation’s maritime borders to smuggle weapons, narcotics and people into the country.
According to recent data, more illicit drugs were seized at sea by Customs and Border Patrol’s Air and Marine Operation (AMO) in 2023 – 304,000 pounds – than by land – 241,000 pounds.
Southern Spear will operate as part of Joint Task Force South – a Defense Department task force made up of Navy, Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection, as well as 20 partner countries focused on counter-narcotics and maritime security in the Carribean, Central and South America.
TRUMP THREATENS TO TAP ALLIES FOR MILITARY SHIPBUILDING IF US CAN'T PRODUCE
Army Maj. Gen. Henry S. Dixon, left, Joint Task Force North commander, discusses southern border operations with Marines assigned to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, near San Ysidro, Califorrnia, Jan. 28, 2025. (Department of Defense )
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Utilizing U.S. military might to disrupt the flow of human and drug trafficking at the southern border has been a top priority for Trump.
Upon taking office, the president immediately sent an additional 1,500 troops and additional assets to the border. Over the weekend, the U.S. secured an agreement with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who will send 10,000 Mexican troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in exchange for a one-month delay in Trump’s threat of 25% tariffs on goods flowing in from Mexico.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/counter-drug-sea-drones-utilized-navy-trump-ramps-up-military-resources-border