United States began to mobilize its Armed Forces in the southern Caribbean Sea with the aim of confronting threats from Latin American drug cartels, two sources familiar with the decision told Reuters on Thursday.
According to their statements, President Donald Trump proposed using the military to attack drug trafficking organizations classified as terrorists globally, and the Pentagon received instructions to develop possible operational options.
The increase in actions against the cartels constitutes a central axis of Trump's policies to strengthen security on the southern border of the United States. In recent months, the Republican administration mobilized at least two warships in order to reinforce border control and combat drug trafficking, according to one of the sources.
La Armada estadounidense.
According to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the U.S. Department of Defense ordered the deployment of troops and naval units to the southern Caribbean Sea. "This deployment aims to address national security threats to the United States originating from specially designated narco-terrorist organizations in the region," stated one of the sources cited by Reuters.
In February, the Trump administration included the Sinaloa Cartel from Mexico, Tren de Aragua from Venezuela, and other criminal gangs on the list of international terrorist organizations, a measure that reinforced migration control actions and the prosecution of members of these organizations.
The U.S. military intensified aerial surveillance operations over Mexican cartels to gather information that would allow for the planning of strategies against drug trafficking. Trump previously suggested the deployment of troops in Mexico to combat the cartels, a proposal that the Mexican government claims to have rejected.
The reward for dictator Nicolás Maduro
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi reported last week that the Donald Trump administration increased to 50 million dollars the reward offered for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro. The previous reward was 25 million dollars.
Donald Trump en la frontera con México.
In a video posted on her social media, Bondi stated that Maduro resorts to foreign terrorist organizations, such as Tren de Aragua, Sinaloa Cartel, and Cartel de los Soles, to introduce dangerous drugs and violence into the United States.
"To date, the DEA has seized 30 tons of cocaine linked to Maduro and his accomplices, of which nearly seven tons are linked to Maduro himself, representing an essential source of income for cartels based in Venezuela and Mexico. The cocaine is often mixed with fentanyl, which has caused the loss and destruction of countless American lives," Bondi noted.
In the video, the attorney detailed that "the Department of Justice has seized more than 700 million dollars in assets linked to Maduro, including two private planes, nine vehicles, and more. However, Maduro's regime of terror continues. He is one of the world's largest drug traffickers and a threat to our national security. Therefore, we've doubled his reward to 50 million dollars."
Bondi concluded by saying: "Under President Trump's leadership, Maduro won't escape justice and will answer for his heinous crimes. If you have any information to bring this criminal to justice, call 202 3074228 or go online."
