When President Trump said that he wanted to use military force against the cartels, he meant it.
A Tren de Aragua drug smuggling vessel leaving the narcosocialist regime of Venezuela was targeted and taken out by U.S. military forces. Venezuela had been given plenty of notice and its dictator, Maduro, chose to fume and threaten instead of cooperate. Not surprising since Maduro and much of Venezuela’s regime has been listed as its own drug smuggling cartel.
President Trump issued a statement. “Earlier this morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. TDA is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, operating under the control of Nicolas Maduro, responsible for mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and acts of violence and terror across the United States and Western Hemisphere. The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States. The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike. Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE! Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!!!!!!!!!”
This strike occurred in international waters. Future strikes may not. Hitting the cartels will require strikes inside enemy and in some cases, like Mexico, technically non-enemy nations.
Venezuela is now indisputably on notice that it’s a major target. Politically and legally, strikes within Venezuela would be easier than strikes in Mexico. But that’s the way to open the Overton Window.
The cartels and drug gangs have also been sent a message. The old way of doing business, Coast Guard, Border Patrol and the DEA, is done.
They’re now going to be up against the greatest military in the world which is capable of taking them out anywhere. They’ll have to not only smuggle drugs through tunnels, like Hamas, they’ll have to live in tunnels and how many of their bosses really want to do that?
