US military deploys forces to southern Caribbean to combat drug cartels

(Patria) - The United States has ordered the deployment of air and naval forces to the southern Caribbean Sea to counter the threats posed by Latin American drug cartels, three sources familiar with the decision told Reuters on Thursday.

President Donald Trump wanted to use the military to combat Latin American drug gangs that have been designated as global terrorist organizations. The Pentagon was ordered to prepare options.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the additional 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 take several months and that the plan was to operate in international airspace and international waters. Naval assets could be used not only to conduct intelligence and surveillance operations but also as a springboard 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, as part of broader efforts to curb migration and secure the U.S. southern border. The Trump administration has already deployed at least two warships in recent months to assist in border security and drug interdiction efforts.

“This deployment is intended to address U.S. national security threats from specially designated narcoterrorist organizations in the region,” one of the sources said.

The Trump administration designated Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel and other drug gangs, as well as Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua criminal group, as global terrorist organizations in February, as Trump stepped up immigration enforcement against alleged gang members.

The U.S. military has already increased aerial surveillance over Mexican drug cartels to gather intelligence and determine how best to disrupt their activities.

Trump had previously offered to send U.S. troops to Mexico to help fight drug trafficking, an offer that Mexico, he says, rejected.