The Pentagon has been given permission by President Trump to create military plans to combat drug cartels in Latin America that have been formally classified as terrorist groups. By permitting cartel behavior to be viewed as a national security concern rather than just a criminal issue, the action represents a dramatic change in U.S. policy. These days, organizations like Tren de Aragua, El Salvador’s MS-13, and Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles are categorized as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs).
In order to disrupt the drug trafficking networks and dismantle the cartels’ activities, the new instruction authorizes U.S. forces to conduct intelligence-driven missions and precise strikes both ashore and at sea. The U.S. government has increased the reward for information that leads to the apprehension of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, who is allegedly connected to the Cartel de los Soles, to $50 million in support of these efforts.