WASHINGTON: The United States has ordered the deployment of air and naval forces to the southern Caribbean Sea to address threats from Latin American drug cartels, three sources briefed on the decision told Reuters on Thursday.
President Donald Trump has wanted to use the military to go after Latin American drug gangs that have been designated as global terrorist organizations. The Pentagon had been directed to prepare options.
One U.S. official, who was speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the additional commitment of military assets would include several P-8 spy planes, at least one warship and at least one attack submarine.
The official said the process would be ongoing for several months and the plan was for them to operate in international airspace and international waters.
The naval assets can be used to not just carry out intelligence and surveillance operations, but also as a launching pad for targeted strikes if a decision is made, the official added.
Trump has made cracking down on drug cartels a central goal of his administration, part of a wider effort to limit migration and secure the U.S. southern border.
The Trump administration in recent months has already deployed at least two warships to help in border security efforts and drug trafficking.
“This deployment is aimed at addressing threats to U.S. national security from specially designated narco-terrorist organizations in the region,“ one of the sources said.
The Trump administration designated Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel and other drug gangs as well as Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua as global terrorist organizations in February, as Trump stepped up immigration enforcement against alleged gang members.
The U.S. military has already been increasing its airborne surveillance of Mexican drug cartels to collect intelligence to determine how to best counter their activities. The Trump administration in recent months has already deployed at least two warships to help in border security efforts and to counter drug trafficking.
Trump has previously offered to send U.S. troops to Mexico to help combat drug trafficking, an offer Mexico says it has refused. - Reuters
