Currently, around 10,000 U.S. troops are involved in counternarcotics efforts in the Caribbean, representing a significant military escalation as the Trump administration intensifies its actions against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, according to Pentagon officials.
Most military personnel in the region are stationed in Puerto Rico, while the Marines are deployed on ships. The Navy has a total of eight ships and one submarine operating in the Caribbean.
Attempts to reach U.S. Southern Command (Southcom) for more information were made.
This increase in military activity follows recent U.S. military actions—specifically, five attacks on vessels off Venezuela’s coast, which resulted in 27 fatalities attributed to drug smuggling operations.
On Wednesday, President Trump seemed to acknowledge that he had permitted the CIA to conduct operations within Venezuela, which marks a significant escalation in the U.S. campaign against Maduro. When questioned in the Oval Office regarding the CIA’s involvement, he appeared to confirm the authorization, suggesting he was looking to extend efforts to strike against drug cartels.
He stated, “I allowed them for two reasons. Number one, they emptied their prisons and entered the United States. They came through the border.” He added, “There’s a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela, and a lot of the drugs are coming in by sea, but we’re going to stop them from the land as well.”
Last week, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that the Department of Defense (DOD) is establishing a new joint task force focused on counternarcotics within Southcom’s jurisdiction, aiming to “crush” drug cartels.
The latest U.S. military engagement targeting a suspected drug trafficking vessel occurred on Tuesday morning. President Trump reported that the operation struck a ship linked to a designated terrorist organization, resulting in the deaths of six individuals labeled as “narco-terrorists.”
Lenore Burnley, a mother from Trinidad and Tobago, shared with news agencies that she learned her son, Chad “Charpo” Joseph, was among those killed in the military strike off Venezuela’s coast on Tuesday.
She mentioned, “I found out about my son’s death when someone called me.”
Inquiries have been directed to the office of Trinidad and Tobago President Christine Kalra Kangaroo.
White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt affirmed on Thursday that Trump views Maduro as “an illegitimate president leading an illegitimate regime,” indicating that Maduro has been involved in drug trafficking into the U.S. “for far too long,” when asked about the president’s statements regarding Maduro.
