Justice Department Approves Military Strikes on Drug Traffickers
Recently, a confidential memo from the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel has concluded that military strikes on boats suspected of drug trafficking are permissible under both U.S. and international law.
This 50-page document, reported by The Washington Post, was circulated during the summer, just before the Trump administration initiated lethal strikes against alleged drug traffickers operating in the Caribbean and the Pacific. Since September, the U.S. military has conducted 19 such operations.
The memo also indicated that military personnel involved in these strikes are unlikely to face legal consequences in the future. It posits that the U.S. is engaged in a “non-international armed conflict” based on the president’s Article II powers, which supports these military actions legally. President Trump reinforced this stance in an October memorandum to Congress.
Furthermore, the document states that drug cartels use their profits to fund violence and extortion, thus justifying these military actions within the law-of-war context.
“The strikes were ordered consistent with the laws of armed conflict, and as such are lawful orders,” a spokesperson for the Justice Department stated. “Military personnel are legally obligated to follow lawful orders and are not subject to prosecution for doing so.”
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell echoed these sentiments, affirming that current military operations in the Caribbean adhere to both U.S. and international law. He stressed that all operations comply fully with the law of armed conflict.
Parnell also noted that legal review was thorough, involving attorneys at all levels of command, and that these legal advisers had opportunities to express dissent before executing the operations.
The Trump administration’s offensive against what they label “narcoterrorists” has reportedly led to over 70 casualties, which has strained relations with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Despite Maduro’s objections, military efforts have persisted, with Trump recently signaling intentions to extend actions on land and cautioning airlines against navigating Venezuelan airspace.
