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U.S. Signals Expanded Tools Against Narco-Terror Networks
The U.S. signals expanded options against Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles as Secretary of War Pete Hegseth highlights increased authorities, ongoing maritime strikes, and a broad commitment to countering narco-terrorism across the hemisphere.
(Photo by LUIS ACOSTA/AFP via Getty Images)
During a wide-ranging media interview at the Pentagon yesterday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the Trump administration’s plans to designate Venezuela’s state-embedded criminal network, Cartel de los Soles, as a terrorist organization would provide “a whole bunch of new options” for how the United States confronts narco-terrorist threats in the region.
“The terror designation gives more tools to our War Department to give options to President Donald J. Trump to ultimately say our hemisphere will not be controlled by narco-terrorists, it will not be controlled by cartels, and it will not be controlled by what illegitimate regimes try to push toward the American people,” Hegseth said. “So, it’s just about options, and we plan better than any organization in the world here.”
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Hegseth emphasized that no decisions regarding future action against Maduro’s cartel network are “off the table,” but he clarified that “nothing is automatically on the table,” either.
The secretary noted that U.S. Southern Command has carried out at least 20 lethal maritime strikes on intelligence-confirmed narco-terrorists in the Caribbean Sea and the Eastern Pacific Ocean since September. He declined to comment on whether the U.S. is considering expanding operations beyond maritime targets to potential engagement on Venezuelan soil.
“Again, we have a lot of options. We’ll make sure we have the authorities to do so, and we will protect the American people,” he said.
Hegseth also addressed the administration’s wider concerns about cartel activity in Mexico, saying the United States expects Mexico to “be really aggressive” in tackling cartel violence. “They have done so in some quarters. But, in others, the poisoning of the American people still continues, and as the president has said we are going to stop this,” he noted.
The secretary highlighted the military’s long-honed capability to target narco-terrorists, pointing to two decades of operations in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. “Our ability to range and reach narco-terrorists is about as well-honed as any machine better than any machine in the world,” he said. If similar pressure becomes necessary within the Western Hemisphere, no nation will apply it more effectively than the United States, he added.
“Whether it’s on land or in the maritime, nobody would do it better,” Hegseth continued. For now, he stressed that Operation Southern Spear remains focused on intercepting narco-terrorist drug boats and halting maritime trafficking. “Don’t get in a boat, because it’s going to end poorly for you,” he warned.
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Editor’s Note:
This article reflects statements made by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth during his recent Pentagon interview, focusing strictly on his remarks regarding U.S. counter-narcoterror operations and policy considerations in the Western Hemisphere. All information has been presented exactly within the context provided, without additional analysis or commentary.
